BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Jim Bernhard, a well-known Baton Rouge businessman and major figure in Louisiana politics, has died following a brief illness, according to reporting from The Advocate . He was 71.

Bernhard founded The Shaw Group, which grew into a global construction and engineering firm, and later launched Bernhard Capital Partners, a private equity company. Over the years, he became one of the state’s most influential business leaders and a prominent donor to Democratic candidates.

He is survived by his wife, Dana Bernhard; his children Benjamin Bernhard, Michael Bernhard, Patrick Bernhard, Kathryn Gerry, and Tres Bernhard; and eight grandchildren.

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