J. Bennett Johnston, a U.S. senator who represented Louisiana for 24 years, died March 25, 2025 of complications from COVID-19 at a hospital in McLean, Virginia at the age of 92.
Here's some information from his obituary:
First elected in 1972, after having served as a state representative for eight years, Johnston was a conservative Democrat known for working across the aisle, sometimes voting with Republicans when he thought it would serve his state. He helped drive the creation of Interstate 49, brought money into the state to help protect wetlands (including helping establish two national parks and seven wildlife refuges), and in 1990, made national headlines when he defeated Ku Klux Klansman David Duke in that year's Senate race.
Our media partners at The Advocate/Times Picayune wrote a long obituary about Johnston; to read it, click here.
