Office of the Governor of LouisianaGovernment

The Office of the Governor of Louisiana is the executive institution and administrative arm supporting the Governor of Louisiana, the state's chief executive officer and commander-in-chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Its constitutional mandate is to faithfully execute state laws, direct executive branch departments, prepare the state executive budget, sign or veto legislation, and exercise powers of executive clemency. Established in 1812 under the inaugural Constitution of the State of Louisiana upon its admission to the Union as the 18th U.S. state, the governorship traces its executive lineage to William C. C. Claiborne, who served as the first elected state governor after having presided as governor of the Orleans Territory following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.