Dr. Hypolite Landry, former EBR coroner and record-setting pilot, dies at 96

BATON ROUGE – Former East Baton Rouge coroner and record-setting pilot Dr. Hypolite Landry died Saturday morning. He was 96.

Family members tell WBRZ that Landry, who had been sick, passed away in his sleep.

Landry served as coroner for 26 years, from 1972 to 1998. He spearheaded the creation of new services for people with drug and alcohol addiction, rape victims and children who had been abused. He also started the planning that led to the coroner’s office having its own morgue.

The Baton Rouge native found his way to medicine down a winding path.

He attended Catholic High and started at LSU before taking a job at Exxon, where he worked as a pipefitter and boilermaker. He then joined the Army and eventually served as a captain in the medical administrative corps during the Korean War.

After his military service, Landry went back to Exxon and then to LSU as a medical student.

Long before he entered politics, Landry enjoyed aviation as a serious hobby. In 1969, he set several world records during a 23-day solo trip around the world in a single engine plane, using only a compass for navigation. Some of those records still stand. 

Landry was elected coroner in 1971 and served unopposed in subsequent elections for decades. He easily defeated his only opponent in 1995 before retiring in 1998.

Funeral arrangements are pending.