Sherman Albert Bernard Sr. (June 10, 1925 – May 11, 2012) was an American businessman from Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs, who served from 1972 to 1988 as the Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance.

At the time he entered the race for state insurance commissioner, Bernard was in the house moving, trucking, and construction business in Westwego on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish.

Long was so popular that year that state Republican chairman James H. Boyce of Baton Rouge complained of being unable to find a candidate to oppose him.

[9] In the runoff, Bernard narrowly defeated Williamson, who had the support of the popular Public Broadcasting Service chef and humorist Justin Wilson.

Turnout dipped sharply in the second race because there was no gubernatorial contest at the top of the ticket, as[13] Edwin Edwards had unseated David Treen in the primary.

In the September 27, 1986, primary for the U.S. Senate seat finally vacated by Russell Long, Bernard finished in fourth place with 52,075 votes (4.4 percent), three more than the fifth-place candidate, fellow Democrat J. E. Jumonville, Jr.[14] Victory for the seat ultimately went to another Democrat, U.S. Representative John Breaux of Crowley of Louisiana's 7th congressional district, who defeated the Republican choice, U.S. Representative Henson Moore of Baton Rouge of Louisiana's 6th congressional district.

[3] Bernard was the first of three successive insurance commissioners to be convicted and serve time in federal prison for unrelated crimes (preceding Doug Green and James H. "Jim" Brown).

[3] Bernard recalled that he had a view of the Alabama State Capitol from the prison bus that took him daily to his job changing light bulbs and sweeping a large auditorium.

[3] The Roman Catholic[citation needed] Bernard died in his sleep at the age of eighty-six at his home in Marrero, also in Jefferson Parish.