John Bel Edwards (born 1966 in Amite, Louisiana) is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing the 72nd District since 2008. Edwards grew up in Amite, Louisiana, the son of Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff and Edwin Edwards confidant Frank M. Edwards Jr. John Bel Edwards was graduated from Amite High School as Valedictorian and received a bachelor's degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1988. After a tour in the U.S. Army Edwards returned to Louisiana to receive a law degree from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1999. He is a practicing attorney with the Edwards & Associates Law Firm in Amite. He is the brother of Southeastern Louisiana University mathematician and Independence, Louisia