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 in New Orleans after his single term as governor. He died in New Orleans and is interred there at Metairie Cemetery. Lineage William Wright Heard, like a gubernatorial successor, Ruffin Pleasant, was born near the rural community of Shiloh in Union Parish north of Ruston. He was the son of Stephen Southard Heard and Mary Ann Wright. They are interred at Fellowship Baptist Church Cemetery in Dubach along with other allied members of the Heard family. Coming from a long lineage of southern pioneers, his ancestors included John Stovall, Owen Griffin, John Anderson and Charles Heard, all Revolutionary War patriots. Stephen Heard RS, one of the first governors of Georgia, was also from this noble line. As with most members of his family, Heard was Baptist. References External links State of Louisiana - Biography Cemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries 1853 births 1926 deaths American bankers Democratic Party governors of Louisiana Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Businesspeople from New Orleans People from Union Parish, Louisiana Politicians from New Orleans Burials at Metairie Cemetery