LAFAYETTE – Former attorney general Richard Ieyoub will be inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum Hall of Fame on Saturday in Lafayette.
Ieyoub, who also served as the Calcasieu Parish district attorney in Lake Charles from 1984 to 1992, has a long list of achievements under his belt.
As attorney general from 1992 to 2004, he won a multimillion dollar tobacco settlement for the state as compensation for the health care costs of smokers. As part of that case, he helped formulate the legal principle of parens patriae, which gives the state permission to sue on behalf of its citizens.
“I successfully sued the tobacco companies and collected $4.6 billion for the state,” Ieyoub recently told the Louisiana Record. “Additionally, the tobacco companies were made to discontinue certain advertising campaigns, which were geared toward addicting children under 18 to smoking.”
In his first campaign for attorney general, Ieyoub received more than 1.14 million votes, a record compared to any other candidate in Louisiana history. In 1995, when he ran for re-election, he again received in excess of 1 million votes. To date, no other candidate has received more than 1 million votes twice.
“My office put together the first comprehensive statewide school safety plan and sent it to every school district in the state,” Ieyoub, who was a member of the National Association of Attorneys General, said. “It is still being used in our schools.”
He also created a high-tech unit in the attorney general's office that targets sexual predators on the Internet; and he actively fought against narcotics use through the Louisiana Coordinating Council on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse while also working closely with the National Council Against Drinking and Driving. His office became nationally recognized for tackling underage drinking and drunken driving.
“My plan to prevent underage consumption of alcohol was chosen as one of the 23 best programs in the nation by the National Highway Safety Commission,” he said.
Ieyoub, a Democrat who now practices law with Couhig Partners in Baton Rouge, said that he was delighted to be receiving the honor.
“I consider it a great honor,” he said. “I’m grateful to the board of directors of the museum for making it possible.”