Murphy J. Foster, Jr.

Murphy James " Mike" Foster, Jr. ( born July 11, 1930 in Shreveport, Louisiana ) is a former American politician. He was from 1996 to 2004 Governor of the State of Louisiana.

Early years

Mike Foster is the grandson of Murphy J. Foster, who had been 1892-1900 Governor of Louisiana from 1900 to 1913 and U.S. senator. His father Murphy J. Foster was a wealthy sugar planter, who was also involved in the oil and gas business. The young Foster attended high school in Franklin and then studied until 1952 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge chemistry. During the Korean War he was a 1952-1955 pilot in the U.S. Air Force. After his return he devoted himself to the sugar plantation his family. In the following years he brought it in this profession to considerable wealth. In addition, he was still the owner of a construction company.

Political rise

Foster's political career began in 1987. At that time he was a member of the Democratic Party. Between 1988 and 1996 he was a member of the Senate of Louisiana. During this time he joined the Republicans as their candidate, he was elected in 1996 as the new governor of his state. His supporters also included David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, who sold it for $ 150,000, an address list for his campaign. These issues were never officially stated by Foster as campaign spending, for which he was later reprimanded and punished with a fine.

Governor of Louisiana

Mike Foster took up his new post on 12 January 1996. After a re-election, he could remain in office until March 8, 2004. As Governor, he supported the interests of business and of big business. That earned him criticism from the liberal side a. Under Governor Foster the school system was reformed and brought to the same level as that of the other Southern states in about. Although Foster was originally started as an opponent of gambling, he later became a supporter of this institution. In 2000, he was head of the election campaign of George W. Bush in Louisiana.

Further CV

Today, Mike Foster lives in retirement with his wife, Alice, on his estate at Franklin in St. Mary Parish. The couple has four children.

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