Alexander Dimitry (February 7, 1805 – January 30, 1883) was a

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

Louisiana creole Louisiana Creole ( lou, Kréyòl Lalwizyàn, links=no) is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the state of Louisiana. It is spoken today by people who may racially identify as White, Black, mixed, and N ...

. He was the first state superintendent of public instruction in Louisiana, an author, diplomat, educator, journalist, lawyer, orator, and publicist. He spoke eleven languages. He was the first person of color to represent the United States as Ambassador to Costa Rica and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. He was also one of the few people of color to serve in the bureaucracy of the Confederate Government. He was the first person of color to attend Georgetown University.

Family

Alexander Dimitry was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Andrea Dimitry (1775–1852) and Marianne Céleste Dragon (1777–1856). His Greek father immigrated to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, serving in the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

with Major General and future President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. On Dimitry's mother's side, his maternal grandfather Michel or Miguel Dragon was also a Greek immigrant to Louisiana and a veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, having served under

Bernardo de Galvez Bernardo is a given name and less frequently an Italian, Portuguese and Spanish surname. Possibly from the Germanic "Bernhard". Given name People * Bernardo the Japanese (died 1557), early Japanese Christian convert and disciple of Saint Fran ...

. His maternal grandmother Françoise Monplaisir was born to an enslaved

mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...

woman in New Orleans and baptized in 1755. Their daughter and Dimitry's mother Marianne Céleste Dragon was born free, although Dragon and Monplaisir did not marry until 1815. Marianne Céleste Dragon's 1777 baptismal record identifies her as a free

pardo ''Pardos'' (feminine ''pardas'') is a term used in the former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas to refer to the triracial descendants of Southern Europeans, Amerindians and West Africans. In some places they were defined as ne ...

, but she was identified as white upon her marriage to Andrea Dimitry in 1799. The Roman Catholic ceremony was performed by Antonio de Sedella."Louise Pecquet du Bellet"
''Some Prominent Virginia Families Vol. 4'' Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Company Inc. 1907: p. 188 A portrait of Marianne Céleste Dragon is believed to have been painted by José Salazar, an itinerant Mexican painter who immigrated to New Orleans in the mid-1780s. Alexander was one of ten children. His brothers and sisters included: Euphrosine, Mannella Airnée, Constantine Andrea, John Baptiste Miguel Dracos, Clino Angelica, Marie Francesca Athenais, Nicholas Dimitry, Mathilde Elizabeth Theophainie, and Antonie Marie.

Education

By the age of ten, he was educated by private tutors, Dimitry was fluent in classical Greek and Latin. He spoke English, French, Greek, Italian, and Spanish. At fifteen years old Alexander entered Georgetown University in Washington, D. C., he graduated in 1826. When he returned to New Orleans he studied law under

Auguste Davezac Auguste Davezac (May 30, 1780 – February 15, 1851) was a Saint Dominican-American diplomat who served twice as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. Biography Auguste Genevieve Valentin D'Avezac was born in May, 1780, near Aux Cayes in ...

and James Workman. He was also a student of Christian Roselius. Alexander Dimitry took the bar examination and entered law as a profession. He was knowledgeable in Roman, English, and French law and immediately obtained a reputable position. Regrettably, he was more interested in education, literature, and languages. He became a professor at the College of Baton Rouge. He returned to New Orleans after two years and was one of the owners and editors of L'Abeille, a French newspaper. He was the first editor of the English side of the paper.

Career

Alexander frequently traveled to Washington D.C., where he met his wife, Mary Powell Mills. Mills was the daughter of Robert Mills a distinguished architect. He was from Charleston, South Carolina, and the designer of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...

. The couple married in Washington D.C. on April 5, 1835. In 1835, Alexander became principal clerk for the Southwest postal department. He remained at this position for four years. The U.S. Congress appointed Dimitry secretary of the commission sent to Mexico to settle disputes. His knowledge of the Spanish language and international law made him a valuable member of the commission. When he returned to Louisiana he established the college of Saint Charles Parish. He was dean of the College. Dimitry then became superintendent of the schools of New Orleans. Around this time, Alexander educated prominent creole American author, poet, and translator Mary Bushnell Williams. Isaac Johnson Governor of Louisiana appointed Dimitry state superintendent of public education. Dimitry was the first person of color and the first incumbent of the office in Louisiana. The office organized the public school system throughout the state. He held this position from 1847 to 1854 In 1853, Dimitry's nephew George Pandelly ran for a seat on the Board of Assistant Aldermen, a municipal body responsible for urban infrastructure in New Orleans including streets and sidewalks. George Wiltz seized on Pandelly's mixed race ancestry to discredit his election, prompting Pandelly to take his opponent to court for slander. The case was dismissed, but the "Pandelly Affair" inspired later generations to invent a new genealogy for themselves in which they claimed descent from a mythical, possibly invented

Indian princess The Indian princess is usually a stereotypical and inaccurate representation of a Native American or other Indigenous woman of the Americas. The term "princess" was often mistakenly applied to the daughters of tribal chiefs or other community ...

of the Alibamu tribe named Malanta Talla. After his service as superintendent Alexander was called to Washington by

William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Ga ...

. He was Secretary of State under President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unit ...

. Alexander was appointed to a commission to revise some treaties with American Indian Tribes. In 1855, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of State to translate diplomatic correspondences with different foreign governments. He was fluent in eleven languages. While he was at the State Department he lectured at Georgetown University. President Buchanan appointed him United States minister resident of Costa Rica and Nicaragua in 1859. He was hired to settle diplomatic disputes. Alexander was crucial because he spoke the native languages fluently. He made important speeches in Spanish at diplomatic functions. He was very knowledgeable about the conditions of Central America. Alexander was about to obtain a treaty with Nicaragua. Because of the secession of South Carolina, the negotiation ended. Louisiana also passed an ordinance of secession. Dimitry, concerned about his huge family in New Orleans and his state resigned from his position as Ambassador. Secretary of State

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

expressed President Abraham Lincoln's discontent with Alexander's decision when he returned to Washington. Alexander turned down a yearly salary of $12,000 in gold. Alexander's son John Dimitry was also a Greek-American creole. He was extremely educated and worked with his father as the Secretary of Legation of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Civil War

Alexander Dimitry's son John served as a private in Captain George Graham's company which afterward became Company C and the color company of the Crescent City Native Guards. He was one of the colored guard. During the American Civil War Alexander traveled to Richmond Virginia where he served as chief clerk to the Postmaster General. He later became Assistant Postmaster General of the Confederacy. The Postmaster was

John Henninger Reagan John Henninger Reagan (October 8, 1818March 6, 1905) was an American politician from Texas. A Democrat, Reagan resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives when Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. H ...

. His son John was wounded and later rejoined his father at the Postmaster's office. His other son Alexander Godgrand Dimitry died in the American Civil War. He lost his life in battle near Germantown, Maryland. He was part of the Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry C.S.A."Louise Pecquet du Bellet"
''Some Prominent Virginia Families Vol 3'' Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Company Inc. 1907: p. 76 Although Dimitry had connections in the Confederate government, he did not have the respect of all his compatriots. On July 29, 1861, Dimitry asked

P. G. T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly ...

for the body of

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

, who was killed during the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

, so he could be buried. Dimitry signed the letter with, "Old Friend + Fellow Louisianan". Beauregard replied: "I listen to no appeal from a traitor to the land of his birth," as Dimitry had abandoned the Confederate cause. On September 4, 1865, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a De ...

issued Alexander a Presidential pardon for his participation in the American Civil War. At the end of the war the family moved to Brooklyn, New York.

Later life and death

In 1868, the family moved back to New Orleans. One year later Alexander became professor of Latin at the Christian Brothers College in Pass Christian, Mississippi. By the 1870s, Alexander Dimitry, his siblings, nephews, in-laws, and cousins comprised over 100 people in New Orleans. They were an extremely politically connected Greek-American creole family. His son John helped write Jefferson Davis's biography with his wife

Varina Davis Varina Anne Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to a house in Richmond, Virginia, in mid-1861, ...

. In 1875, Alexander wrote an article for The Meschacébé, a prominent Louisiana newspaper entitled ''The Creole Defined''. He defines the word creole and outlines its significance throughout grammatical history. Alexander spent the remainder of his life at Christian Brothers College. He continued writing articles for newspapers and lectured all over the South. He often lectured at the dedication of buildings and was a well-known scholar. His lectures included his theory on ''Earth's Fitness for Man'', which discussed the formation of earth, light, and animals, the creation, and the relation of man to the infinite. He participated at the commencement of the Peabody Normal Seminary on several occasions. He went to commencements all over the south. He was a member of the Order of Heptasophs. He died at his home in New Orleans in 1883. Many of Dimitry's writings remain unpublished. Alexander Dimitry and Mary Powell Mills had 10 children, Their names are in order of birth: John Bull Smith Dimitry, Charles Patton Dimitry, Eliza Virginia Mills Dimitry, Mary Elizabeth Lynn Dimitry, Alexander Godgrand Dimitry, Mathilde Fortier Dimitry, Mills Miller, Robert Mills Dimitry, Robert Andrea Dimitry, Thomas Daney Dimitry, and Ernest Alexander Lagarde Dimitry. Pecquet du Bellet, Louise, 1907. Vol 3 p. 76 Alexander's creole mother Marianne Celeste Dragon has appeared in several publications. Her portrait was on the cover of the 2009 book ''Exiles at Home'' by Shirley Elizabeth Thompson. She was also featured in the 2013 book ''Behind Closed Doors Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492-1898'' By Mia L. Bagneris, Michael A. Brown, Suzanne L. Stratton-Pruitt.

Literary Work

References

Bibliography

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External links

Alexander Dimitry (History of the Order of AHEPA - The First Greeks in the New World pp. 17-20)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimitry, Alexander 1805 births 1883 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Costa Rica Ambassadors of the United States to Nicaragua American people of Greek descent Philodemic Society members 19th-century Greek Americans American people of Creole descent Louisiana Creole people French people of Louisiana Creole descent 19th-century American politicians Confederate States of America political leaders People of Louisiana in the American Civil War Black Confederates African Americans in the American Civil War Georgetown University alumni 19th-century Greek scientists 19th-century Greek educators 19th-century Greek writers 19th-century Greek American writers