Ed Karst

Who was Ed Karst?

Charles Edward "Ed" Karst was an attorney and politician remembered for his controversial tenure as the mayor of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. In 1991, Karst launched a bizarre "No Party" gubernatorial campaign in which he threatened if elected to fire the members of the Louisiana Supreme Court or, if defeated, as he was, to kill the justices, who had upheld his disbarment. At times, Karst was a member of both the Democratic and the Republican parties, but he ran for governor with the "No Party" label, as permitted in Louisiana.

The New Orleans-born Karst was the son of Charles Karst, Jr.. He was educated in Catholic institutions in New Orleans: Jesuit High School, Tulane University, and Loyola University Law School. He moved to Alexandria to practice law during the 1960s.