Retired Congressman Jack Edwards, R-Mobile, has passed away. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) is asking that flags be flown at half mast in both the First Congressional District and on the Capitol grounds in honor of his service both in Congress and in the U.S. Marines during the Korean War.
“Congressman Jack Edwards served his state and nation with the highest degree of integrity,” Gov. Ivey said. “As a young Marine, he proudly wore the uniform of his country during the Korean War; as the representative from Alabama’s First Congressional District, he was elected to 10 terms and was widely respected on both sides of the aisle, working with six different presidents. He was President Reagan’s point man on rebuilding our national defense. He was also one of the state’s foremost conservationists, leading the efforts in Congress to establish the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Baldwin County.”
Former State Senator Bill Hightower, R-Mobile, also released a statement on Edwards passing.
“My wife Susan and I extend our deepest sympathies to the family of former Congressman Jack Edwards. Congressman Edwards was a strong voice for south Alabama and for our nation’s defense. He served with honor and is of a generation of congressional leaders when the decorum and civility of the U.S. House of Representatives was as it should be. He put public service above partisan bickering, yet stood firm in his commitment to Alabama values. As a 12 year old boy, I fondly remember watching Congressman Edwards and Trent Lott’s weekly broadcast updating the people of Alabama on the activities of Congress. His example is one of the reasons why I hope to serve the people of the 1st congressional district in Congress.”
“Heartfelt sympathies and prayers for his wife, Jolane, and their two children and families. Jack passed away early this morning; he was the epitome of a true public servant and was the ultimate statesman for Alabama. Our state has lost one of our finest,” Gov. Ivey concluded.
The governor has issued a directive to immediately fly flags at half-staff on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol Complex in Montgomery and in Alabama’s First Congressional District, until the day of interment, to honor Congressman Edwards.
