Heath, Edward M.

Submitted by Mike Miller

Edward M. Heath, who represents an old family of Northern Louisiana, is a native of New Orleans, has practiced law nearly twenty years, and has been active in politics and public affairs. Among Other professional duties he is attorney for the state tax collector.

He was born in Yew Orleans in 1878. son of Frederick Eugene and Isabella (Marlborough) Heath, his mother still living, and a grandson of Henry Foster Heath. His grandfather was born at Galesville, Washington County, New York, in 1821, and during the thirties moved to Minden, Webster Parish, North Louisiana. At Minden in 1842, he married Lucy Ann Reese. The late Frederick E. Heath was born at Minden in 1851, and spent his last years in New Orleans, where he died in 1881.

Edward M. Heath finished his literary education in time Jesuit College of New Orleans, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1896. For a number of years his home was in Baton Rouge, where he was private secretary to Hon. Thomas J. Kernan, a famous lawyer While there he attended the law school of Louisiana State University, and was granted his certificate to practice by the Supreme Court of Louisiana in 1908. Remaining at Baton Rouge, he was associated with Mr. Kernan until the latter's death in 1912, returning to New Orleans, he was associated in practice for about five years with Col. John P. Sullivan. Since then he has conducted an individual practice, his offices being at 330 Carondelet Street. Some time after his return to New Orleans from Baton Rouge he moved to Ruston in Lincoln Parish of north Louisiana and acted in association with Hon. Arnold Barksdale as assistant- general counsel for the Rock Island Railway Company. It was through appointment from Governor Fuqua that he became attorney for the state tax collector of Louisiana in matters pertaining to licenses.

Mr. Heath had an interesting experience in the newspaper business. In 1921, as a result of his law practice, he was forced to take on the editorship and the management of the Ruston Leader, a newspaper which was about to go out of existence. It is the only daily newspaper in a town of this size in Louisiana. He conducted this very successfully for about one year and put time paper on a good financial footing. It is still in a flourishing condition . He then returned to New Orleans and resumed his law practice.

He has always been interested in politics and is a man of influence in local and state political affairs. His affiliations have always been with the old democratic organizations in New Orleans. In 1924 he traveled with Mr. Fuqua and made a personal campaign in behalf of the candidacy of the present Governor. Mr. Heath married Winifred Keife, of New Orleans. Their four children are: Winifred Abigail, Edward M. Jr., and John H.

NOTE: The referenced source contains a black and white photograph of the subject with his/her autograph.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 27-28, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.