New Iberia in Iberia Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
(1942-2019)
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 30, 2021
1. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Marker
Side 1
On November 15, 2003, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco became the first woman to be elected as Governor of Louisiana. Born in New Iberia, Blanco attended Mount Carmel Academy, an all-girls school run by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mount Carmel. Blanco served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1984 to 1988 (first woman elected from Lafayette), then in the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1988-1996 (first woman elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission and first to serve as its chairwoman)
(continued on other side)
Side 2
(Continued from other side)
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco served as Lieutenant Governor from 1996-2004, and Governor from 2004-2008. Proud of her Cajun ancestry, in January 2004, Governor Blanco took the oath of office in both English and French. Blanco grew up in a large and close-knit family, was a wife, mother and grandmother, and her dying wish was to be remembered, not for her twenty-four years of public service, but for her deep faith in God, her strong commitment to family, and her life-long love of Louisiana.
Erected by John & Priscilla Cadwell and Iberia Preservation Alliance.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics
this page online
Location. 30° 0.369′ N, 91° 49.108′ W. Marker is in New Iberia, Louisiana, in Iberia Parish. It is on East Main Street (State Highway 182) north of Iberia Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 128 West Main Street, New Iberia LA 70560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Louisiana’s Acadiana Cajun Country and specifically in Bayou Country. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, Acadia, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Louisiana's First Black Female Physician Dr. Emma Wakefield-Paillet (here, next to this marker); The Gouguenheim Building (a few steps from this marker); The Steamboat Era (within shouting distance of this marker); Old City Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Iberia Parish Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Bouligny (within shouting distance of this marker); Provost's Cafι and Bar/Clementine Fine Dining and Spirits (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Foligny Broussard (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Iberia.
More about this marker. Located in the Bouligny Plaza.
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 30, 2021
2. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Marker
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 30, 2021
3. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Marker
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 30, 2021
4. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 31, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 31, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
