William Wright Heard

William Wright (W. W.) Heard (April 28, 1853 - May 31, 1926) was the 32nd Governor of Louisiana from 1900 to 1904. His governorship saw the start of the Louisiana's oil and gas industry.

Early life Heard was born April 28, 1853, to Stephen S. Heard and Mary Ann Wright, in Union Parish, where he grew up on a farm. His older brothers served in the Confederate Army, while he attended local schools. He was a Baptist. He married Isabelle Manning on December 3, 1878, with whom he had five children. Heard was a member of the Democratic Party, but he had Populist tendencies and was a supporter of the expanded coinage of silver. The first Louisiana State Board of Education was established during his administration.

It was during Heard's term that the discovery of oil was made by W. Scott Heywood and Associates of what is now Jeff Davis Parish, then part of Calcasieu Parish. This company completed Jennings Oil Company Number 1, Jules Clement, at Evangeline on September 21, 1901. This was the start of the vital Louisiana oil and gas industry.

The Louisiana Revised Statutes specify that the governor shall determine the design of the official state seal. To standardize a design for the seal, Governor Heard instructed the Secretary of State in 1902 to use a seal described as: "A Pelican, with its head turned to the left, in nest with three young; the Pelican, following the tradition in act of tearing its breast to feed its young; around the edge of the seal to be inscribed 'State of Louisiana'. Over head of the Pelican to be inscribed 'Union, Justice', and under the Pelican to be inscribed 'Confidence'." The description of the seal included the motto, which Gov. William Heard had chosen: Union, Justice, Confidence. This seal was adopted on April 30, 1902.

Heard achieved the formation of the state prison system, which eliminated privately contracted prisons. He was also instrumental in forming the State Department of Pest Control, thus trying to control the hated boll weevil, which plagued the cotton plants.

Serving in public office most of his early life, Heard became a banker and an accountant in New Orleans after his single term as governor. After leaving office, he was later moderator of the Concord Baptist State Convention and vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He died in New Orleans on May 31, 1926. He is interred there at Metairie Cemetery.