Because of its complex history, Louisiana has had many interesting people who have influenced its history books. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of impact is having a strong effect on someone or something. In normal people's language it means to influence a person or thing. Some men who have had a positive impact on the history of Louisiana are the influential Charles Elson “Buddy” Roemer III and Captain Henry Miller Shreve, but the former had a greater impact because by his actions he saved the state from times financially difficult. Charles Elson “Buddy” Roemer III has had multiple positive changes in Louisiana. Mr. Roemer was born October 4, 1943 on the Scopena Plantation, whose principal crop was cotton. This plantation is located in Shreveport. Throughout his childhood, he had John F. Kennedy, his role model, as dinner table discussions, which helped him hone his academic and verbal skills. When he graduated from high school as valedictorian at age sixteen, he entered Harvard where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration. Roemer once said, “I was always a church-going Methodist kid from a cotton field in north Louisiana.” After Harvard, Charles founded a computer company called Innovative Data Systems and later Business First Bank, where he currently works as a banker and investor. He was the fifty-second governor of Louisiana from 1987 to 1992. Previously, he was a four-time member of Congress. Surprisingly, he beat Edwin Edwards in the 1987 primary election. While in office, he balanced the state budget, aided by oil and gas booms, greatly improved education, and raised teacher salaries by 5 percent. Roemer also cleaned up the environment a lot, some...... middle of paper...... Inc., 1998. (printed book)Cowan, Walter Greaves; Jack B. McGuire. Governors of Louisiana: Rulers, Scoundrels, and Reformers. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2008. (paperback)"Roemer, Buddy (1943-)"Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Biography, narrative biography. (online encyclopedia) Oliver, Marcia Mae. "Henry Miller Shreve: King of the Snag Boaters." encyclopedia.com. Sea Classics, October 2012. February 26, 2014. (online encyclopedia) Haq, Husna. “Election 101: Eleven Facts About Buddy Roemer and His Presidential Candidacy.” encyclopedia.com. The Christian Science Monitor, July 21, 2011. February 27, 2014. (online encyclopedia) Davis, Edwin Adams. Louisiana: A Narrative History. Baton Rouge: The TJM Corporation, 1971. (print book) Taylor, Joe Gray. Louisiana, a bicentennial history. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1976. (printed book)