Louis A. Martinet
Louis André Martinet (December 28, 1849 - June 7, 1917) was a lawyer, publisher, medical doctor, civil rights activist and state legislator in Louisiana during the Reconstruction era.[1][2]
Biography[]
He was born December 28, 1849 in St. Martinville, Louisiana to Hipolite Martinet and Marie Louise Benoit.[1][3]
He served as a state representative in the Louisiana House of Representatives from St. Martin Parish from 1872 until 1875.[4] He was admitted to the bar in Louisiana in December 1875.[5] Then obtaining his first class law degree from Straight University Law School the following year in 1876.[4] He was a notary and set up his notarial practice in 1888 which continued to operate until his death.[1][4]
In February 1879 he was appointed to the City Board of School Directors, re-filling the position he had vacated the previous year in May 1878.[6] In 1882 he was made the Special Deputy Surveyor for the Port in New Orleans.[7]
He published The New Orleans Crusader (1889 - 1896) newspaper[8] and was active opposing segregation.[4][9] In the 1890s he obtained a medical degree from the Flint Medical College in New Orleans.[4]
He survived an attempted assassination May 5, 1896 when he was accosted by a drunk Matthew J. Ryan who placed his revolver in Mr Martinets stomach.[10] Bystanders saved Martinet by overpowering Ryan and handing him over to the police.[10]
He died in 1917.
Personal life[]
In 1882, he married Miss Leonora V. Miller and later they had two children, although one died while still an infant.[11][4]
Legacy[]
The Louis A. Martinet Legal Society is named for him. In 1984 the Louis Martinet Society organized efforts to elect more Black judges in News Orleans.[12]
Further reading[]
- Albion W. Tourgée and Louis A. Martinet: The Cross-Racial Friendship behind "Plessy v. Ferguson" by Carolyn L. Karcher, MELUS, Vol. 38, No. 1, Cross-Racial and Cross-Ethnic Collaboration and Scholoarship (Spring 2013), pages 9-29, Oxford University Press
References[]
- ^ a b c Hémard, Ned. "New Orleans Nostalgia - Remembering New Orleans History, Culture and Traditions" (PDF). New Orleans Bar Association. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Rosenberg, Charles (2013). "Martinet, Louis Andre". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.38685. ISBN 9780195301731. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Saturdays: Bad Luck for the Martinets". Louisiana Historic and Cultural Vistas. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ a b c d e f "Orleans Parish Civil Clerk of Court". www.orleanscivilclerk.com.
- ^ "Louis André Martinet and Samuel Stewart admitted to the bar". New Orleans Republican. 21 December 1875. p. 1. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Resignation of members of Parish Boards - Appointment to the City Board". The Times-Picayune. 9 February 1879. p. 6.
- ^ "Louis A. Martinet installed as Special Deputy". The Weekly Louisianian. 4 February 1882. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "The New Orleans Crusader Newspaper Collection (1889-1896)". xula.contentdm.oclc.org.
- ^ "Louis A. Martinet | American attorney and doctor". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ a b "Ryan's Rash Act - A Drunken Freak Nearly Results in Assassination". The Times-Picayune. 7 May 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Marriages (Louis A. Martinet - Leonora V. Miller)". The Times-Democrat. 7 October 1882. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Louis Martinet Society (1984) : Louisiana Digital Media Archive". ladigitalmedia.org.
- People from St. Martinville, Louisiana
- Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- Straight University alumni
- American newspaper publishers (people)
- People from New Orleans
- 1849 births
- 1917 deaths
- African-American Catholics