State Web Site

RUFFIN GOLSON PLEASANT was born in Shiloh, Louisiana on June 2, 1871. His education was attained at Ruston College, at Mount Lebanon College, at Louisiana State University, from which he graduated in 1894, and at Yale and Harvard, where he studied law. In 1899, he was admitted to the bar, and then established a very successful legal career. He served as the Shreveport city attorney from 1902 to 1908, was an assistant to the attorney general from 1911 to 1912, and served as the attorney general of Louisiana from 1912 to 1916. Pleasant won the 1916 Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was elected governor by popular vote on April 18, 1916. He was sworn into office on May 15, 1916. During his tenure, the state prepared for World War I by providing monetary assistance and organizing troops. After completing his term, Pleasant left office on May 17, 1920 and returned to his legal practice. He later served as a member of the 1921 Louisiana Constitutional Convention, and was a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention. Governor Ruffin G. Pleasant died on September 12, 1937, and was buried at the Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Sources:

Dawson III, Joseph G. The Louisiana Governors: From Iberville to Edwards. Baton Rouge: Lousiana State University Press, 1990.

Louisiana Secretary of State: The Governors of Louisiana

The Political Graveyard

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.