President Biden signs bill to honor late Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow
The Rayville Post Office will be renamed in honor of the late Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow after President Joe Biden signed into law a bill for the memorial. Letlow won a landslide election to represent Louisiana's 5th Congressional District in 2020 but died of COVID before he could be seated.
His widow Republican Congresswoman Julia Letlow now represents the 5th District.
“Our family is deeply touched and humbled that the bill renaming the Rayville Post Office has officially been signed into law as the Luke Letlow Post Office Building," Julia Letlow said. "I’m grateful to my Louisiana colleagues for their support in honoring Luke’s legacy, in particular (House Majority Leader Steve Scalise) for introducing this legislation.
"I know Luke would consider it the recognition of a lifetime to have the post office named in his honor, and our family is immensely proud to officially see this fitting memorial to his legacy in the place we call home."
The Luke Letlow Post Office Building is located at 103 Benedette St. in Rayville.“On behalf of the entire Louisiana delegation, I am honored to see our bill signed into law to memorialize the legacy of public service Luke Letlow left behind by naming a post office in his beloved Richland Parish after him," Scalise said in a statement. "What I remember most about Luke is that he had a faithful heart, a passion for serving his community and such positive energy every single day. This post office will ensure his legacy continues to shine on and inspire others to take up public service in their communities.”
Republican Louisiana U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy carried the bill in the Senate earlier this month after it passed the House last spring.
Julia Letlow is raising the couple's two young children — Jeremiah, 7, and Jacqueline, 4. She and the children still live in the couple's family home in Start in Richland Parish.
Luke Letlow, who was 41 when he died, was to have succeeded former 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, who is now Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's secretary of health and hospitals.
Letlow, who had been Abraham's chief of staff, won the 2020 runoff election for the 5th District seat with 62% of the vote against fellow Republican Lance Harris, now an elected member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
He had also worked for former Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and as a driver for former Republican U.S. Congressman John Cooksey during a long political career preparing him for elected office.
During Letlow's funeral, Abraham said he had a deep love for his family, state and the 5th Congressional District.
"He knew the heart and soul of the (5th Congressional District) and Louisiana," Abraham said.