Best Nicknames

Louisiana became the eighteenth U.S. state on April 30, 1812. Its first governor was named William but the most common name among its governors is Henry. John, James and William tie for second place.

Oramel, Pinckney, Ruffin and Piyush are the most uncommon names. Piyush Jindal is much better known by his nickname, Bobby. A lot of people don’t even know his given name is Piyush. There are also several governors named after notable Americans as well as what is probably a higher concentration of French names than in any other state.

Henry: 5 Louisiana Governors
Henry Johnson (1783-1864) Term: 1824-28
Henry Schuyler Thibodeaux (1769-1827) Term: 1824 (1 month)
Henry Watkins Allen (1820-66) Term: 1864-65
Henry Clay Warmoth (1842-1931) Term: 1868-72
Henry Luse Fuqua (1865-1926) Term: 1924-26

James: 3 Louisiana Governors
James Madison Wells (1808-99) Term: 1865-67
James Albert Noe (1890-1976) Term: 1936 (3.5 months)
James Houston “Jimmie” Davis (1899-2000) Terms: 1944-48, 1960-64

John: 3 Louisiana Governors
John McEnery (1833-91) Term: 1873 (4 months)
John Milliken Parker (1863-1939) Term: 1920-24
John Julian McKeithen (1918-99) Term: 1964-72

William: 3 Louisiana Governors
William Charles Cole Claiborne (c. 1772-1817) Term: 1812-16
William Pitt Kellogg (1830-1918) Term: 1873-77
William Wright “W.W” Heard (1853-1926) Term: 1900-04

George: 2 Louisiana Governors
George Foster Shepley (1819-78) Term: 1862-64
George Michael Decker “Michael” Hahn (1830-86) Term: 1864-65

Jacques: 2 Louisiana Governors
Jacques Philippe Villere (1761-1830) Term: 1816-20
Jacques Dupré (1773-1846) Term: 1830-31

Murphy: 2 Louisiana Governors
Murphy James Foster I (1849-1921) Term: 1892-1900
Murphy James “Mike” Foster (b. 1930) Term: 1996-2004

Robert: 2 Louisiana Governors
Robert Wickliffe (1819-95) Term: 1856-60
Robert Floyd “Bob” Kennon (1902-88) Term: 1952-56

Thomas: 2 Louisiana Governors
Thomas Bolling Robertson (1779-1828) Term: 1820-24
Thomas Overton Moore (1804-76) Term: 1860-64

Only One
Alexandre Mouton (1804-85) Term: 1843-46
Alvin Olin King (1890-1958) Term: 1932 (3.5 months)
André Bienvenue Roman (1795-1866) Terms: 1831-35, 1839-43
Armand Julie Beauvais (1783-1843) Term: 1829-30
Benjamin Franklin Flanders (1816-96) Term: 1867-68
Charles Elson “Buddy” Roemer III (b. 1943) Term: 1988-92
David Connor “Dave” Treen (1928-2009) Term: 1980-84
Earl Kemp “Uncle Earl” Long (1895-1960) Terms: 1939-40, 1948-52, 1956-60 
Edward Douglass White (1795-1847) Term: 1835-39
Edwin Washington Edwards (b. 1927) Terms: 1972-80, 1984-88, 1992-96 
Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls (1834-1912) Terms: 1877-80, 1888-92
Huey Pierce “The Kingfish” Long (1893-1935) Term: 1928-32
Isaac Johnson (1803-53) Term: 1846-50
Jared Young Sanders, Sr. (1869-1944) Term: 1908-12
Joseph Marshall Walker (1784-1856) Term: 1850-53
Joshua Baker (1799-1885) Term: 1868
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (b. 1942) Term: 2004-08
Louis Alfred Wiltz (1843-1881) Term: 1880-81
Luther Egbert Hall (1869-1921) Term: 1912-16
Newton Crain Blanchard (1849-1922) Term: 1904-08
Oramel Hinckley Simpson (1870-1932) Term: 1926-28
Oscar Kelly “O.K.” Allen (1882-1936) Term: 1932-36
Paul Octave Hébert (1818-80) Term: 1853-56
Pierre Augustin Charles Bourguignon Derbigny (1769-1829) Term: 1828-29
Pinckney Benton Stewart “P.B.” Pinchback (1837-1921) Term: 1872-73 (15 days)
Piyush “Bobby” Jindal (b. 1971) Term: 2008-16
Richard Webster Leche (1898-1965) Term: 1936-39
Ruffin Golson Pleasant (1871-1937) Term: 1916-20
Sam Houston Jones (1897-1978) Term: 1940-44
Samuel Douglas McEnery (1837-1910) Term: 1881-88
Stephen Bennett Packard (1839-1932) Term: 1877 (3.5 months)