Edmund Jean Forstall (c. 1794-1874) was an American banker, merchant, and planter, from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, from a prominent Louisiana Creole family through his mother, and Irish heritage on his father's side. He is known for developing

The Forstall System The Forstall System was a banking system developed by Edmund Jean Forstall in 1842 and used until the end of the Civil War.Holden, Arthur C. “The Phenomena of Long-Term Credit”. ''Land Economics'' 42 (1966): 363-370. After the Panic of 1837, ba ...

in 1842.

Career

By 1818, through family connections, Forstall was a director of The Louisiana State Bank. He began his mercantile career with Gordon, Grant & Co. in the early 1820s, which then became Gordon, Forstall & Co. in 1826, where he managed the New Orleans Branch. In 1938, Forstall became the president of Citizens Bank of Louisiana. In 1842, he developed

which was a banking system used until the end of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

.Holden, Arthur C. “The Phenomena of Long-Term Credit”. ''Land Economics'' 42 (1966): 363-370.

Philanthropy

Forstall was an Administrator of the University of Louisiana under President William Newton Mercer, with Secretary

Albert G. Blanchard Albert Gallatin Blanchard (September 6, 1810 – June 21, 1891) was a general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. He was among the small number of high-ranking Confederates to have been born in the North. He served on the ...

, Chief Justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

Edwin T. Merrick Edwin Thomas Merrick (July 9, 1809 – January 12, 1897) was the third Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from July 1855 to April 3, 1865. Biography Edwin T. Merrick was born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts on July 9, 1809. He moved to O ...

, Mayor of New Orleans Charles M. Waterman, Admin

Pierre Emile Bonford Pierre Emile Bonford (sometimes reported as Peter Emile Bonford; 1820 – August 17, 1864) was a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1863 to 1864. Bonford was "a distinguished and leading member of the New Orleans bar"."Death of an Eminent ...

, and Admin Isadore Labatut,

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

Forstall Mansion

Located at old No. 4 Carondolet Street, now 122, in the

Central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

, the Forstall Mansion served as the home of

The Boston Club The Boston Club is a private gentlemen's club in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, founded in 1841 as a place for its members to congregate and partake in the fashionable card game of Boston. It is the oldest remaining social club in the city, after ...

from 1867 to 1884 and

The Pickwick Club The Pickwick Club is a private gentlemen's club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1857, The Pickwick Club and the The Mistick Krewe were originally one group comprising two organizations. After The Boston Club, The Pickwick Club is the s ...

from 1894 to 1899. In 1856 he purchased 920 Saint Louis Street, then removed himself there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forstall, Edmund Jean American bankers 19th-century American businesspeople 1790s births 1874 deaths