Joe Salter, who as speaker of the state House helped then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco steer Louisiana through the immediate post-Hurricane Katrina period, offering a friendly, even-keeled demeanor during a stressful time, died Saturday.

He was 82 and died in Baton Rouge from the spread of his kidney cancer.

An educator, Salter spent 22 years in the House from Florien, a village in Sabine Parish near the Texas border. Afterward, he served as a senior aide first for the superintendent of education and later for the secretary of state. He also spent the past eight years as a board member of the University of Louisiana System.

No matter his role, Salter won plaudits for a personality that helped get things done without worrying about who got credit.

“He was kind and skillful, a people person,”

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