Jeff Landry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeff Landry
Landry in 2024
57th Governor of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2024
Lieutenant	Billy Nungesser
Preceded by	John Bel Edwards
45th Attorney General of Louisiana
In office January 11, 2016 – January 8, 2024
Governor	John Bel Edwards
Preceded by	Buddy Caldwell
Succeeded by	Liz Murrill
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Charlie Melançon
Succeeded by	Charles Boustany (Redistricting)
Personal details
Born	Jeffrey Martin Landry (1970-12-23) December 23, 1970 (age 54) St. Martinville, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Sharon LeBlanc
Children	1
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Education	University of Louisiana at Lafayette (BS) Loyola University New Orleans (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1987–1998
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Louisiana National Guard
Awards	Army Achievement Medal Army Commendation Medal Louisiana War Cross

Jeffrey Martin Landry (born December 23, 1970) is an American politician and lawyer. He is currently the 57th governor of Louisiana, a job he started in 2024. Before becoming governor, he was the 45th Attorney General of Louisiana from 2016 to 2024. He also served as a U.S. representative for Louisiana from 2011 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Landry was born in St. Martinville, Louisiana. He studied at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette and later at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. He was part of the Louisiana National Guard for 11 years, which he joined while still in high school. During college, he also worked as a police officer and a sheriff's deputy.

In 2015, Landry won the election for Louisiana Attorney General, beating the person who held the job before him. He was reelected four years later. In 2023, he won the election to become governor of Louisiana. As governor, he has signed new laws about how the justice system works and laws about carrying weapons. He also signed a law that requires the Ten Commandments to be shown in public school classrooms. This law is currently being challenged in court.

Early Life and Education

Jeff Landry was born in St. Martinville, Louisiana, on December 23, 1970. His parents are Al and Edna Landry. He is the oldest of four children. His mother was a teacher, and his father was an architect and businessman.

Landry went to St. Martinville High School. He played high school football there as a wide receiver. After high school, he had several jobs. He worked on a sugarcane farm, as a police officer for the village of Parks, and as a sheriff's deputy in St. Martin Parish. He also served for 11 years in the Louisiana Army National Guard.

He later attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now called the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). He graduated in 1999 with a degree in environmental science. In 2001, he started studying law at Southern University Law School. He then transferred to Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2003 and earned his law degree in December 2004. After that, he became a lawyer and businessman in New Iberia.

Early Political Career

2007 State Senate Election

In 2007, Landry ran for a seat in the Louisiana State Senate. The person who held the seat before him could not run again because of term limits. Landry lost this election by a small number of votes.

U.S. House of Representatives

Becoming a U.S. Representative

In 2010, Jeff Landry ran for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. The person who held the seat, Charlie Melancon, decided to run for a different office. Landry won his party's nomination and then won the main election. He became a U.S. Representative in 2011.

2012 Election and Redistricting

Landry during the 112th Congress

After the 2010 census, Louisiana lost one congressional district. This was because fewer people lived in the state after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Landry's district was changed, and parts of it were moved into other districts. Landry ended up in the same district as another Republican, Charles Boustany.

In the November 2012 election, Landry and Boustany were the top two candidates. Because neither of them won more than half the votes, they had a second election, called a runoff, in December. Boustany won the runoff election, and Landry left Congress in 2013.

What He Did in Congress

While in Congress, Landry was a strong supporter of the oil and natural gas industry. He believed that drilling for oil and gas created jobs. He also spoke out against some of President Barack Obama's policies.

Landry also spoke about academic freedom. In 2012, he shared his concerns about a new program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He wrote a letter to the university president, Joe Savoie, asking him to reconsider the program. Savoie replied that the university had a duty to offer different areas of study and understanding.

Attorney General of Louisiana (2016–2024)

An Attorney General is the main legal advisor to the state government. They are in charge of enforcing the state's laws.

Elections for Attorney General

2015 Election

In 2014, Landry announced he would run for Attorney General. He challenged Buddy Caldwell, who was the Attorney General at the time. Landry won the election in 2015.

2019 Election

In 2018, Landry thought about running for governor. But in November, he decided to run for reelection as Attorney General instead. He was reelected by a large margin in October 2019.

What He Did as Attorney General

Academic Freedom

In 2021, Landry asked the president of Louisiana State University, William Tate, to take action against a professor. This was because the professor had made comments about one of Landry's staff members on social media.

Libraries and Books

In December 2022, Landry created a way for people to report concerns about librarians and teachers in schools and libraries. In February 2023, he released a report called "Protecting Innocence." This report focused on libraries and supported laws that would limit what books minors could access if local library boards considered them inappropriate. Some of the books mentioned in the report had themes related to different types of families and people.

The Louisiana Library Association responded to Landry's report with a statement called "Setting the Record Straight."

State Budget and Lawsuits

Landry had some disagreements with Governor John Bel Edwards about the state budget. In 2017, Landry sued Edwards over money from a pharmaceutical settlement. Landry believed his office should receive these funds to help with its budget. Edwards said that Landry was just fighting budget cuts that other state offices also faced. Landry later dropped the lawsuit after a compromise was reached.

Religious Views

In 2018, Landry joined U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and actor Kirk Cameron to support student-led prayer and religious expression in public schools. They appeared in videos and at prayer events.

2020 U.S. Presidential Election

In December 2020, Landry joined a lawsuit that tried to change the results of the presidential election in four states. The lawsuit argued that there were problems with how votes were counted in those states. However, the United States Supreme Court quickly rejected the lawsuit.

Vaccines

In 2021, Landry sued the federal government because it required healthcare workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He called this requirement "unconstitutional." In 2024, as governor, Landry signed five laws that made vaccine requirements less strict and limited the power of public health officials.

Governor of Louisiana (2024–present)

2023 Election

On October 5, 2022, Landry announced he was running for governor of Louisiana. He was supported by the Republican Party of Louisiana and former president Donald Trump.

Landry was elected governor in the first round of the election on October 14, 2023. He received 52% of the votes, which meant he did not need a runoff election. His main opponent, Shawn Wilson, received 25% of the votes.

What He Does as Governor

On January 7, 2024, Landry took a special oath and gave a speech at the Louisiana State Capitol. He officially became governor the next day.

Ten Commandments Law

In June 2024, Louisiana became the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom. Landry signed this bill into law and called it "one of my favorites." He even said, "I can't wait to be sued" over the law. Soon after he signed it, several groups that protect civil liberties challenged the law in court. A judge blocked the law, but the current Attorney General of Louisiana, Liz Murrill, plans to appeal this decision.

Academic Freedom in Colleges

In June 2024, Landry signed a law that says certain acts of civil disobedience are not protected as free speech on college campuses. This law was meant to protect free speech but also make it clear that criminal actions or supporting certain groups are not allowed on college campuses.

In October 2024, Landry announced a new order to help protect free speech on public university campuses. This order was made with a student group called Turning Point USA. It addresses concerns that some campus reporting systems, which are meant to help students report unfair treatment, might accidentally make people afraid to share different ideas.

In November 2024, Landry asked Louisiana State University to take action against a professor. This was after a video of the professor making comments about the 2024 presidential election was shared online.

Personal Life

Jeff Landry is married to Sharon Landry (whose maiden name was LeBlanc). They have one son. The family is Roman Catholic.

When he was in Congress, Landry had an apartment in Washington, D.C., while his wife and son lived in Louisiana.

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Jeff Landry para niños