Buddy Roemer Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here is a look at the life of Buddy Roemer, the 52nd governor of Louisiana.
Personal
Birth date: October 4, 1943
Death date: May 17, 2021
Birth place: Shreveport, Louisiana
Birth name: Charles Elson Roemer III
Father: Charles “Budgie” Elson Roemer II, farmer and aide to Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards
Mother: Adeline (McDade) Roemer
Marriages: Scarlett (Osborn) Roemer (2001-May 17, 2021, his death); Patti (Crocker) Roemer (1973-1990, divorced); Frances (Demler) Roemer (1963-1972, divorced)
Children: with Patti Roemer: Dakota; with Frances Roemer: Charles IV “Chas;” Caroline
Education: Harvard University, B.S., 1964; Harvard Business School, M.B.A., 1967
Religion: Methodist
Other Facts
One of five children raised on 2,000 acre cotton and cattle farm in north Louisiana named Scopena Plantation.
Roemer’s father served eight years in the administration of Democratic governor Edwin Edwards.
Had type 1 diabetes.
His brother, Danny Roemer, was convicted of bank fraud in 1993.
His father was convicted of bribery and kickbacks and serves 15 months in prison. The conviction is later overturned.
Served four terms in the US House of Representatives as a conservative Democrat before switching to the Republican party. He vowed never to accept super PAC money.
Timeline
1970 – Starts Innovative Data Systems, a computer software company.
1973 – Delegate to the Constitutional Convention of Louisiana.
1973 – Starts Red River Valley Bank in Bossier City, Louisiana.
January 3, 1981-March 14, 1988 – Democratic US Representative from Louisiana.
October 1987 – Wins 33% of the vote in the Louisiana governor’s race. Runner-up incumbent governor Edwin Edwards declines to participate in a run-off.
March 14, 1988-January 13, 1992 – Serves as the 52nd governor of Louisiana.
March 11, 1991 – Announces plans to leave the Democratic Party and run for reelection as a Republican.
October 1991 – Roemer comes in third in the Louisiana governor’s race, behind Edwards and David Duke.
1993 – Starts The Sterling Group, a Louisiana plastics company facilitating trade among and between companies in Mexico, Brazil, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Louisiana.
October 1995 – Roemer comes in fourth in the Louisiana governor’s race.
1998 – Starts The Business Bank in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2005, the bank is sold to BancorpSouth of Mississippi.
June 2005 – Undergoes triple bypass surgery.
2006 – Starts Business First Bank in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
2008 – Forms investment management company Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co., LLC (RRM).
July 21, 2011 – Officially announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
May 31, 2012 – Drops out of the 2012 presidential race.
July 3, 2012 – Announces the formation of the Reform Project to fight corruption in politics.
April 2014 – Roemer’s company, RRM provides four million dollars in seed financing to the online news network, The Young Turks.
August 2014 – Suffers a stroke, according to his son, Chas Roemer.
September 19, 2017 – Roemer’s book about his childhood, “Scopena: A Memoir of Home,” is published.
May 17, 2021 – Passes away at the age of 77.
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