Notable New Orleanians: A Tricentennial Tribute

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FOREWORD BY S. FREDERICK STARR As New Orleans celebrates its founding three hundred years ago it is easy to assume that the city’s growth and success were inevitable. Does it not owe its fortune to mighty forces, any one of which could have propelled the city forward? We all know that geography made a key contribution, by presenting a water route across Lake Pontchartrain to Bayou St. John that saved sailing ships ninety-five miles of arduous upstream tacking on the Mississippi River in the face of a roiling current. The river’s status as the best outlet for agricultural and manufactured products from forty per cent of America’s territory assured the city’s economic prosperity. Politics helped, too, with three empires—France, Spain, and Great Britain—vying to control this crucial port until the new United States finally won out in January, 1815. Finally, social factors contributed, by making the city an attractive place for successive waves of immigrants to settle. What, then, could be missing from this quartet of powerful and impersonal forces? The answer is simple: people. We may comfortably assume that it was New Orleans’ good fortune that forces such as these drove it forward. But none of them, nor any combination of them, accounts for the city’s distinctive identity or the range of fields in which its citizens have distinguished themselves. Nor can listing the geographic, economic, political, and social forces acting upon it explain the city’s rich contributions to America in so many fields. In the end, New Orleans’s survival, growth, and flowering trace above all not to impersonal forces but to people, specific men and women over 300 years. An obvious point? Perhaps, but two generations of American historians and journalists thought otherwise. Instead, they stressed above all the role of underlying social and economic forces in the development of societies. This caused individuals, with all their distinctive talents and penchants, to slip into the background. Now our perspective has shifted again, allowing a more balanced appreciation of the role of individuals in history, while at the same time acknowledging the larger context in which they function. Embodying this welcome shift in perspective, the compilers of this volume set out to identify those men and women whose lives and activities did most to define the identity, character, and contribution of New Orleans over the past three centuries. Moving beyond the narrow caricatures promoted by the tourist industry, they delved into many fields of endeavor, from science to art, philanthropy, religion, law, music, and technology. In each of these areas, and many others, New Orleanians richly contributed to the life of their city, country, and the world. Author Dr. William D. Reeves and editor Sally Kittredge Reeves focused on one-hundred New Orleanians who left their mark on the city and at the same time contributed to the larger culture. Selections were made with the help of a group of distinguished advisors and contributors, among them Dr. Lawrence Powell, Dr. Carolyn Kolb, Distinguished Professor Vernon Palmer, Educator Howard Hunter, and historians Jari Honora, Prescott Dunbar, and William Forman. The resulting list of personages, each of whose biography is included in this volume, is amazing for its range and scope. Here you will find colonizer and governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (1680–1767); city planner and architect Barthélemy Lafon (1769–1820); inventor of the Wood Screw Pumps that have saved the city from floods, Albert Baldwin Wood (1879-1956); pioneering newspaper editor Eliza Jane Nicholson (1849-1896); the sustaining force at [Daughters of] Charity Hospital over sixty-two years, Sister Stanislaus (Catherine Malone) (1863-1949); and human rights champion Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (1849-1928). Together, the group of hundred forms a marvelously talented and diverse tableau. Had space allowed, the list of candidates could have numbered two-hundred, or five-hundred. At any length, there will inevitably be equally worthy folks who might have been included but weren’t. Take this as an invitation to add your own! Thanks to the diligence of editors and authors, you have in your hands a remarkably interesting and engaging book. Whether you read through it sequentially or skip around among the intriguing personalities presented therein, the story of these impressive New Orleanians is bound to set you thinking. To this reader, these hundred biographical sketches served as a reminder of the sheer breadth and diversity of fields in which people have contributed to the welfare of this city, and in ways that affected future generations. There is no single path, or limited number of paths, by which people can become, in the fullest sense, “citizens,” respected and valued by those among whom they live and work. Nor is there any correlation between a person’s abilities and contribution and his or her “visibility” during their life-time or later. Most of those included in this compendium eschewed publicity and instead stayed focused on the task at hand. Those in the present day who seek acclaim and short-term notoriety pale by comparison. Above all, the lives of those included here constitute a kind of group monument to the lasting values of persistence and tenacity. Indeed, many did not live to see the full effect of their efforts, which are so clearly manifest to us today. As New Orleans celebrates its three hundredth birthday, it is useful to pause on these and other thoughts to which this book might lead us. This is not to say that the blind forces of geography, economics, politics, and society are insignificant in human affairs. They are present, of course, and demand our recognition and study. But the story of the lives presented here reminds us that we are, in the end, masters of our fate. Each of us has the capacity to build what needs building and to change what needs changing. This is precisely what these hundred New Orleanians did over the course of three centuries. With luck, the coming years and decades will produce equally creative, positive, and tenacious New Orleanians. S. Frederick Starr NOTABLE NEW ORLEANIANS: A Tricentennial Tribute 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This volume would not have been possible without the assistance of the individuals and organizations that have made so many contributions to its success. First, the Louisiana Historical Society would like to thank the over 150 members and businesses who have contributed to this project as subscribers or underwriters. Their business stories are told as part of this tribute, and subscriber names appear at the beginning of the volume. We also thank Ms. Nora Wetzel, president of the Louisiana Historical Society, for her many logistical efforts to facilitate the project. Our thanks go out particularly to Carolyn G. Kolb, who identified, collected, and attributed the photographs in this volume. For copies and the use of those images, we extend special thanks to the following individuals, archives, museums, and collections that have allowed us to use them. Their attributions appear as appropriate with the images: We thank Rebecca Smith, Head of Reader Services, Williams Research Center, Historic New Orleans Collection; Melissa Smith, Assistant Registrar, Louisiana State Museum; and, at Tulane University: Louisiana Research Collection, Head of Collection Leon C. Miller; Public Services Librarian Sean Benjamin; University Archives, Ann Case; William R. Hogan Jazz Archives, Bruce Raeburn and Alaina W. Hébert;. The Louisiana Division, New Orleans Public Library; Louisiana and Special Collections, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans; The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation of Newark, New Jersey; Executive Director Jackie Harris and the Board of Directors; The Office of Archives and Records, Archdiocese of New Orleans; The Clarion Herald’s Peter Finney and photographer Frank Methe; Alexander Richmond Favrot, Sue Favrot, Semmes Favrot, Judge Morris Arnold, Cokie B. Roberts, Jack Belsom, Michael Haley, Robert Homes, Emily Leumas, and John Geiser have made particular contributions. Robert Hinckley, the author of William Woodward: American Impressionist, kindly permitted the duplication of an important Woodward painting. We also wish to acknowledge the ten historians who contributed nineteen of the one hundred essays in this volume as well as to other features: •S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia. Caucasus Institute, American Foreign Policy Council: Foreword. •G Howard Hunter, Academic Dean at Metairie Park Country Day School and past President of the Louisiana Historical Society: deLesseps Morrison and Edith and Edgar Stern •Jari Honora, high school history teacher: Dutch Morial, and Homer Plessy. •Dr. Vernon Valentine Palmer, Thomas Pickles Professor of Law, Tulane School of Law: Louis Moreau-Lislet. •Prescott N. Dunbar, historian and civic supporter: Martin Navarro. •Dr. Carolyn G. Kolb, journalist and historian: Catherine Cole, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, “Chink” Henry, and Cammie Nickerson. •T. Semmes Favrot, attorney and board member Louisiana Historical Society: The Favrot Family. •Dr. Lawrence Powell, retired chairman of the Tulane Department of History: Leon Godchaux. William Foreman, attorney: L. Kemper and Leila Moore Williams Sally K. Reeves, M.A, C.A., archivist and past President of the Louisiana Historical Society: Jean-Louis Dolliole, Jacques Livaudais, Joseph and Louis H. Pilié, De Armas family, and Bernard Marigny; and Chronicling Louisiana: Reflections on its Historians How can the left hand acknowledge the work of the right hand? My wife Sally K. Reeves has been the right hand on this book. She has done the voluminous work of editing the biographical profiles, correcting grammatical mistakes and infelicitous phrases, and generally making them readable. In addition she has contributed six of the essays. William D. Reeves New Orleans August 29, 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7
Page 1 and 2: T HE L OUISIANA H ISTORICAL S OCIET
Page 3 and 4: T HE L OUISIANA H ISTORICAL S OCIET
Page 5 and 6: LEGACY SPONSORS Through their gener
Page 7: INTRODUCTION On the occasion of the
Page 11 and 12: In every decade, the Society has co
Page 13 and 14: J EAN B APTISTE L E M OYNE DE B IEN
Page 15 and 16: U RSULINE S ISTERS AND M OTHER M AR
Page 17 and 18: G ILBERT A NTOINE DE S T . MAXENT (
Page 19 and 20: continued to paint and raise the ch
Page 21 and 22: wrote neo-classic poems celebrating
Page 23 and 24: 1916. Returning home, he practiced
Page 25 and 26: 1. Durham is mentioned in several s
Page 27 and 28: epresentative, state senator and at
Page 29 and 30: A. N. Yiannopoulos found “the 180
Page 31 and 32: 18th century until the Civil War an
Page 33 and 34: distinguished reputation in the war
Page 35 and 36: years of their deaths. The Memoirs
Page 37 and 38: his death in 1846. One of his great
Page 39 and 40: J AMES H. CALDWELL (1793-1863) Jame
Page 41 and 42: houses of New Orleans. Made to comp
Page 43 and 44: A RCHBISHOP A NTOINE B LANC (1792-1
Page 45 and 46: the breakup of the city. As a refor
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Page 49 and 50: H ENRIETTE D ELILLE (1812-1862) In
Page 51 and 52: William Woodward, 1859-1939, Old Ur
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Page 55 and 56: School of José Salazar, Pierre-Jos
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Detail, Marie Adrien Persac (ca. 18
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community was abandoned after 1850
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Charles de Armas, PLAN/OF TEN LOTS
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George Peter Alexander Healy (1813-
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George H. Grandjean, Plan/MICHOUD P
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Louis H. Pilié, PLAN OF A VALUABLE
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Unknown Artist, Roy Alciatore (1902
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Michael P. Smith, Allison "Tootie"
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J AMES R OBB (1814-1881) Antebellum
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D R . LOUIS C HARLES R OUDANEZ (182
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L EON G ODCHAUX (1824-1899) At the
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Born in 1829 New Orleans, Gottschal
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Company, the National Rice Milling
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eflections led to short stories, so
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R ODOLPHE L UCIEN D ESDUNES (1849-1
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first president of the Levee Board.
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J OSEPH V ACCARO (1855-1945) AND F
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A constant interest was the structu
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Matas was one of the first to suppo
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In 1933, Dr. Rudolph Matas (q.v.) t
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contributed a chapter on African-Am
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St. Louis and other points on the i
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and which, in 1966, became The Hist
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of Art.1 His architectural work mad
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By the end of World War II Ochsner
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Richard Strauss. 1 The N. O. Opera
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A LBERT W. D ENT (1904-1987) The ad
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C HINK H ENRY (1910-1974) Clarence
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With her siblings and nephews, Ella
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A RCHBISHOP P HILIP M. HANNAN (1913
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water the industry drilled from flo
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treasurer of the New Orleans Spring
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C OSIMO M ATASSA (1926-2014) Record
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Ambrose’s idea for a local D-Day
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Black activist Bill Rouselle said a
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Foster, Governor, 18, 88 Foucher, 2
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Ursuline Convent. COURTESY OF THE L
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SHARING THE HERITAGE Historic profi
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QUALITY OF LIFE Healthcare provider
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was able to expand his own individu
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way for its students to acquire rea
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two family members or friends, at n
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Business; Education and Counseling;
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college or life after high school.
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Public Administration, and a new Sm
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with its college-preparatory curric
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Accreditation from the Southern Ass
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In the fall of 1931, a freshman cla
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Perhaps the most influential indivi
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Early history points to Sister Mary
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Today, Tulane offers endless educat
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five foreign countries-a huge respo
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Built on a foundation infused with
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A quality education is imperative t
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Through many years and name changes
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New Orleans has long been a faith-b
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Dillard University is a private, hi
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THE MARKETPLACE Retail and commerci
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a candy made of sugar and almonds.
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Parkway in Metairie and South Tyler
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company took occupancy in early 195
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facility has three spacious rooms,
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and a seed is planted in his mind.
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hired Leo W. Seal, Sr., as his sawm
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Historically, the port has been a l
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The company boasts fourteen distinc
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Founded in 1983 by Neal Alford and
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Fourth-generation New Orleans nativ
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In May 1937, Joseph Merrick Jones,
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Liberty Bank and Trust Company was
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The Kearney Family has been involve
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BUILDING A GREATER NEW ORLEANS Serv
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such a complex project to completio
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as healthcare, food processing, man
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Medical Center’s Development Comm
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In 1922, Ed. Smith’s moved from N
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With generations of expertise, Roub
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Philosophy, which emphasizes contin
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New Orleans was settled by the Fren
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Ensuring its clients build on a fir
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About the Author ABOUT THE AUTHOR W
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LEADERSHIP SPONSORS COLUMBUS PROPER
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