Candy Edwards of Louisiana, born Candace Picou in 1964, is the second wife of the late four-term governor Edwin Edwards. She was a 26-year-old nursing student at LSU when their relationship became public during his 1991 campaign, served briefly as the state’s first lady after they married in 1994, divorced him in 2004 while he was in federal prison on racketeering charges, and later built a quieter life in Baton Rouge as a mother and real estate agent.
How She Met Edwin Edwards
Candace Picou was studying nursing at Louisiana State University when Edwin Edwards, then 64, introduced her publicly during his successful 1991 run for a fourth term. The 38-year age gap drew attention, though Edwards deflected it with a joke that has followed him ever since. “Some people say that at 64, a man should be looking for a nurse,” he said. “Others say that he ought to be looking for the best-looking young lady he can find. I’ve combined the two.”1UCLA Blueprint. A Lighter Look: In Memory of Edwin Edwards
Edwards had divorced his first wife, Elaine Schwartzenburg, in 1989 after 40 years of marriage. He and Candy married in 1994 in the garden of the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge, during his fourth and final term.264 Parishes. Edwin Edwards
Her Time as Louisiana’s First Lady
Candy served as first lady for roughly a year and a half before Edwin left office at the end of his fourth term in 1996. By her own account she kept a low-key presence and did not build the kind of public advocacy platform some governors’ spouses do.3WAFB. Candid With Candy Edwards One detail captured the generational gap: she held her tenth high-school reunion at the Governor’s Mansion while living there.4New York Magazine. Edwin Edwards
Standing by Edwin Through the Federal Case
After Edwin left office, federal prosecutors pursued a sweeping corruption case tied to Louisiana’s riverboat gambling industry. In August 1999, a grand jury returned a 34-count superseding indictment charging Edwards and several associates with racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, mail and wire fraud, and money laundering.5FindLaw. United States v. Edwards Edwin was convicted and sentenced to ten years. He reported to a federal facility in Fort Worth, Texas, in late 2002.
Candy stood by him. In an interview shortly before he entered prison, she maintained his innocence. “My husband never extorted anybody and he never hurt anybody,” she said, adding, “I am Edwin Edwards’ wife and I am going to stick by him. I can’t see it any other way.”6Houma Today. Candy Faces Future Without Edwin She expressed hope that the Supreme Court would take up an appeal and that he might be released within two years.
With Edwin in prison, Candy lived in the couple’s home in the Country Club of Louisiana. Edwin’s daughter Anna, from his first marriage, held power of attorney over his finances and provided Candy a predetermined monthly allowance. Candy said she planned to work to avoid being a financial burden. Before reporting to prison, Edwin had walked her through practical tasks she’d need to manage alone, from running a generator to handling vehicle maintenance.6Houma Today. Candy Faces Future Without Edwin The couple had also hoped to have a child together; Edwin had undergone a vasectomy reversal and they had frozen sperm for possible in vitro fertilization, but Candy’s endometriosis complicated their efforts, and those attempts were unsuccessful during the marriage.
The 2004 Prison Divorce
After Edwin exhausted his federal appeals, the marriage ended. The couple filed their intention to divorce on December 1, 2003.7WAFB. Former Gov. Edwin Edwards Files for Divorce In a June 2004 letter to friends, Edwin framed the decision as his idea. “She has suffered enough and given enough,” he wrote. “She has been very supportive and helpful since I got here 19 months ago. But it has taken a toll on her, and she just cannot handle the stress and depression of this forced separation. She wants to restart her life, and I cannot and do not blame her.”8Star News Online. La.’s Ex-Governor Says He’s Divorcing His brother Marion described the split as amicable. Candy had initially resisted when Edwin first offered the divorce, saying she wanted to stand by him.
Judge Toni Higgenbotham finalized the divorce in Baton Rouge on July 13, 2004. According to court documents, there were no community property issues, and Candy declared she could provide for herself with no spousal support needed.7WAFB. Former Gov. Edwin Edwards Files for Divorce Edwin was 76. Candy was 39.9UPI. Imprisoned Ex-Governor Agrees to Divorce
Motherhood and a Real Estate Career
After the divorce, Candy entered a relationship with Brian Low, a Baton Rouge financial advisor roughly a decade younger than her. On November 11, 2006, she gave birth to a son, Harrison Arthur Picou Low, at a Baton Rouge hospital. He weighed eight pounds, two ounces. His middle names honored her father, Arthur, and her maiden name, Picou.10WAFB. Candy Edwards Delivers Baby Boy Candy was 42 and Low was 31 at the time. The couple was not married.
By late 2008, Candy had built a career as a real estate agent with RE/MAX in Baton Rouge. She described the work as “taking off” but acknowledged the difficulty of balancing sales with raising a toddler.3WAFB. Candid With Candy Edwards She also said that she and Edwin remained “great friends” despite the divorce.
The 2009 Domestic Violence Incident
That relative quiet ended on Sunday, November 15, 2009. Candy arrived at the home of Brian Low’s mother in Baton Rouge to pick up their three-year-old son when an argument broke out. According to Candy and responding deputies, Low grabbed her by the neck, threw her against a wall, and punched her in the mouth with a closed fist, breaking one of her upper front teeth. Deputies also found a half-inch cut on her forehead.11NOLA.com. Candy Edwards, Ex-Wife of Edwin Edwards, Injured in Domestic Fight
Low gave investigators a different account. He admitted grabbing Candy by the neck and forcing her into a bedroom but claimed she struck her head on a windowsill and denied punching her. He told deputies the couple had lived together for more than three years but had been separated for about three months.12KTBS. Man Booked in Alleged Assault of Edwards’ Ex-Wife Low was arrested that day, booked on a felony charge of second-degree battery, and released the following day on a $200,000 bond. Candy told reporters she did not believe the altercation was “newsworthy.” The available record does not reflect a final disposition of the criminal case.