A&R Reflects on the Passing of Beloved Partner and Louisiana House Speaker Bubba Henry

Our Adams & Reese family mourns the loss of Bubba Henry – a former two-term Louisiana House Speaker, our longtime Partner, and the original founder of our firm’s Government Relations practice – who passed away on April 23, 2025, at the age of 89.

A visitation will be held on Friday, April 25, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Rabenhorst Funeral Home in Baton Rouge, and a funeral service will be held Saturday, April 26, at 11 a.m. at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Baton Rouge (Click here for more information). Articles on NOLA.com, on WBRZ, and in The Advocate covered Henry’s passing.

“Bubba was the true godfather of Louisiana politics and a role model to many who have followed in his footsteps. Those who knew him had an unmatched reverence for him," said Rob Rieger, Adams & Reese GR Partner in the Baton Rouge office. Henry hired Rieger in 1992. "Bubba was quick witted and never came out second best in a war of words, whether in committee debate or friendly bantering with the lobbying corps.” 

Henry was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame and was known as “Mr. Speaker” throughout the Louisiana State Capitol and beyond. Henry was elected House Speaker in 1972 and held the distinction of being the only speaker to succeed himself in modern history. In 1974, Henry was honored in the Oval Office by President Gerald Ford, who cited “exemplary leadership” for Henry’s chairmanship of the Constitutional Convention. In 2001, Henry was named by Louisiana Life magazine as the Top 20 who have “most influenced public policy in Louisiana during the past 20 years.” 

In his first term, Henry worked with younger members of the House – ultimately dubbed the “Young Turks” – to advocate legislative reform and balance their wishes with the traditional view of House operations. They changed how the legislature operated – creating decorum, removing lobbyists from the floor, and bringing accountability to the appropriations process.

They blazed a trail, with the support of Gov. Edwin Edwards, that led to the convening of a Constitutional Convention in 1973, chaired by Henry. The delegates produced a new Constitution for voter consideration. Louisianians went to the polls in 1973 and voted to adopt a new Constitution, which became effective in 1974. His unpublished memoir of the Convention, its workings, and colorful personalities, provided the basis for The Last Constitution. Adams & Reese Counsel Phil Bergeron was also a delegate at the Convention and little did they know that they would be partners at Adams & Reese fourteen years later.

Henry was a candidate for Louisiana Governor, and despite his popularity in the Capitol area, finished fifth. However, not happy with the Democrat who was in the runoff, he facilitated the endorsement of Republican Dave Treen with the other two candidates, and their support helped Treen become Louisiana’s first elected Republican governor since reconstruction.

From 1980 to 1984, Henry served as Commissioner of Administration for the State of Louisiana. He pushed to fruition the plans and blueprints for the State Capitol Complex and the ultimate consolidation of state offices within the Capitol environs.

In 2006, a House Concurrent Resolution expressed “enduring gratitude for outstanding contributions to the state” upon the celebration of his 70th birthday.   

“I've never walked through the Vatican with the Pope, but I came pretty close to that feeling walking the halls of the Louisiana legislature with Bubba,” said Jeff Brooks, Adams & Reese GR Partner and former EC Chair.

Henry Founded the Adams & Reese GR Practice in 1987 

“Bubba just commanded every room he was in,” said Rieger. “He had the presence of a leader to everyone he worked with, and when he conversed with you, it was a combination of the utmost kindness, sincerity, and professionalism that only Bubba could deliver.”

Henry earned his J.D. in 1961 from LSU. He chose the Louisiana Government as his first passion, while practicing law in Jonesboro. Following the close of his public service and a brief tenure at another law firm, Henry joined Adams & Reese in 1987 through his connection with former legislative colleague and A&R Partner Sam LeBlanc. In so doing, Adams & Reese became the first Louisiana law firm to formally establish a Government Relations Practice.

Henry coined our unofficial GR motto: "We can dig it up, we can fill it in, and all things in between."

Henry helped build what our firm's GR practice is today with more than 75 attorneys and advisors representing and advocating for clients at the federal, state, and local levels.

“A good deal has changed since I started the government relations practice in 1987, but two things will never change,” said Henry. “First, government relations clients need advocates who understand how the wheels of government work – both the legislature and agencies. Second, and equally important, they need advocates who listen carefully, who develop an understanding of their business, their industry, and how laws and regulations affect their business.” 

While at Adams & Reese, Henry lobbied the legislature for decades on behalf of the insurance industry and was recognized throughout his legal career by Best Lawyers in Government Relations Law. Henry served as former president and a multi-year board member of SCG Legal, a worldwide network of more than 120 law firms across more than 60 countries. In 2022, the group awarded him with an “Above and Beyond” award. Adams & Reese remains a prominent member of that group.

Henry was also a member of the Adams & Reese Executive Committee and Partner in Charge in Baton Rouge. “Bubba was indeed the Patriarch of our Baton Rouge office,” said Rieger.

Henry described himself as a “humble country lawyer” and he was a notorious prankster and joker around the office.

For instance, because of his ability to solve client problems, Henry fielded many requests from prospective clients that he always shared with his colleagues. He could frequently be heard roaring down the hall, “I need a lawyer!" Don Phelps, a retired partner who was a law school classmate of Henry’s, had the corner office at the end of the river side. When Henry came out of his office to yell for a lawyer, he would see Don and amend his request to, “I mean, a real lawyer, not you Phelps,” to which Don would make an emphatic gesture and slam the door.

No one was spared from his hijinks, and his pranks sometimes drew responses in kind. In one instance, Henry caused half a dozen animal hunter trophies to be removed from an associate’s office. The associate then found a ransom note purportedly penned by one of Henry’s clients stating that the trophies would be returned upon the associate buying lunch for the office. Henry ultimately returned the trophies without receiving ransom.

This associate, and other colleagues victimized by Henry’s pranks, banded together and filled his office with hundreds of golf balls, even filling all his desk drawers and cabinets. The golf balls were range balls with no utility.

A lot of attorneys and staff came through Adams & Reese, but Henry never forgot them and always had a kind word and remembrance when encountering them elsewhere. In fact, he held an irregular A&R alumni lunch gathering at Fleur De Lis Pizza.

Henry loved the annual firm retreat and getting to know new colleagues, their practice areas, and experience. During the last retreat he attended, Managing Partner Gif Thornton asked Henry as an elder statesman to provide some final words to close the event. Henry made a brief but poignant homily and then closed with “You can trust your management of this firm: they’re not wrong all the time.” The place roared.

 “Lives His Life Based on his Faith in his Creator” 

The 2006 House resolution also said that Henry “lives his life based on his faith in his Creator.” As part of his personal faith journey, Henry attended a man's retreat held at Manresa. Although these weekends were intended for prayer and intense personal reflection, Henry never seemed to return from those without new, interesting stories to share of his experience and that of other participants.  

Henry’s commitment to community service touched many. He volunteered on many Adams & Reese HUGS (Hope, Understanding, Giving & Support) projects, including for Volunteers in Public Schools, where he spent time reading with students. He was also very active in the United Way and led the office’s fundraising efforts, as well as volunteering for Boys Hope and Girls Hope, Louisiana Appleseed, and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. 

Henry served as Deacon and Trustee at University Baptist Church and taught Sunday School for many years. Henry was also an active volunteer and board member with the Council for a Better Louisiana, Public Affairs Research Council, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Baton Rouge Sunrise Rotary Club, and State Capital Law Firm Group.

Bubba was married to Frances Turner Henry for 67 years. They have two children, Patrick E. Henry and Lori Henry Taylor, and three beloved grandchildren, Mary Elizabeth Gordon, Mona Taylor, and Jacob McKenzie Henry. Bubba loved family, reading, and golf. 

Henry was a frequent member of the City Club and loved to entertain lawmakers there for lunch. For lawmakers, an invitation to one of Henry's City Club lunches was a real treat and they were much coveted.

At one memorable lunch on April 1st, Henry had a room full of lawmakers, and about three quarters of the meal through, the club's maître d appeared with a statement in hand and asked to speak to Henry about his outstanding club account. Replying in his "cold graveyard" serious speaker voice, Henry told the maître d that he could not believe that the club would embarrass Henry in front of lawmakers.

The maître d insisted that the matter needed to be resolved immediately. The room became electric as all conversations stopped, and the attention focused on the two. Henry got out of his chair, and everyone took a collective breath, fearing an encounter. Instead, Henry threw his arm around the maître d and the two of them smiled and said in chorus, “April Fool’s.”

When one of the lawmakers jokingly chided Henry for frightening him, Henry replied, “If that’s all it takes to frighten you, Mr. Lawmaker, you get no dessert.”

Bubba said he acquired his nickname as a boy because his older sister could not pronounce his given first name, Edgerton Lewis.

Our deepest condolences to the Henry family and to everyone who has been impacted by this remarkable man and his historic career. We take this time to reflect on our colleague and pay tribute to a true hero, whose reputation went above and beyond with every attorney he mentored, every staff member he greeted, and every client he represented.

We finish this reflection through Henry’s own words: “My heart always beats a little faster when I get a call from a potential client asking if we’re available. Helping clients navigate the ins and outs of government never ceases to energize and fascinate me.”