[1] He graduated from Oak Grove High School, and attended Louisiana State University, where he earned a law degree in 1932.
[1] After earning his law degree, Cawthorn became active in Louisiana politics, and was a friend of Huey Long and his son, Russell.
[2] Cawthorn practised as an attorney in Mansfield, Louisiana, but was disbarred in 1953 as a result of a 1948 conviction for jury tampering, for which he received a 2-year sentence.
[3][4] In the 1960s, Cawthorn represented rodeo performer Jack Favor when he was falsely accused of murder.
[5] Cawthorn died in November 1967 at a hospital in Lake Charles, Louisiana.