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John Edward Bouligny (February 5, 1824 – February 20, 1864) was an American politician who was a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
representing the
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
of
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 ...
. He served one term as a member of the Know Nothing movement's anti-immigrant American Party. During his term, Louisiana seceded from the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
, but Bouligny remained in Washington and refused to resign. He was the only member of Congress from Louisiana to not resign or vacate his seat after the state seceded.


Biography

Bouligny, who went by his middle name Edward, was born in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
. He was son of Louisiana state Representative Louis Bouligny and Elizabeth Virginie D'Hauterive. His uncle, Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny, had served one term as
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
from Louisiana in the 1820s and his grandfather,
Francisco Bouligny Francisco Domingo Joseph Bouligny y Paret (; 4 September 1736 – 25 November 1800) was a high-ranking Spanish military and political figure in Spanish Louisiana. As a francophone in Spanish service, he was a bridge between Creole and French Lou ...
, was a high-ranking colonial official and military governor of
Spanish Louisiana Spanish Louisiana ( es, link=no, la Luisiana) was a governorate and administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1762 to 1801 that consisted of a vast territory in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of t ...
in the late 18th century. Bouligny attended public schools in New Orleans before studying law and being admitted to the bar. In 1852, he was appointed "assistant-appraiser of merchandize" for the U.S. Custom House in New Orleans by President
Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
. Bouligny became involved with Know Nothing politics in the 1850s and by 1855 was a party secretary in the state. While the national American Party was firmly pro-Protestant, the Know Nothings found strong support in Louisiana, including in largely Catholic New Orleans. In contrast to the national party, the Louisiana American Party refused to adopt a religious test for membership, making it welcoming to pro-slavery, anti-immigrant former Whigs, including Catholic Creoles like Bouligny. Bouligny was elected
recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
for the Fourth Municipal District of New Orleans in 1856, making him responsible for trying and sentencing cases involving public nuisances and petty crimes. The Fourth District was incorporated into New Orleans in 1852; prior to then it was Lafayette City, Jefferson Parish, and Bouligny's older brother, Francis, had served as its mayor.


Congressman

In 1859, in what was described as a "brisk, close and earnest" nomination contest, Bouligny was selected to run as the American Party candidate for
Louisiana's 1st congressional district Louisiana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district comprises land from the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain south to the Mississippi River delta. It covers most of New Orleans' su ...
. He defeated Judge T.G. Hunt Jr., an old-line Whig, and state Rep. Charles Didier Dreux. Bouligny edged Dreux by just two votes at the party convention. Bouligny won the November election with plurality of 49.13% of the vote, defeating former Democratic representative Emile La Sére and States Rights candidate Charles Bienvenu. During the 36th Congress, Bouligny sat on the House Committee on Private Land Claims. According to GovTrack, Bouligny missed 197 of 433 roll call votes during his one term in Congress. In the 1860 presidential election, Bouligny publicly supported the Democratic candidate
Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
. Bouligny was strongly opposed to Louisiana's secession from the
United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, stating in a speech before Congress on February 5, 1861, that he answered not to the Louisiana secession convention but to the people who elected him. Bouligny went on to say that if his constituents called for him to step down, he would do so but would "remain a Union man." He retained his seat in Congress after Louisiana withdrew from the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
on January 26, 1861, until the expiry of his term on March 3, 1861.


After Secession

Bouligny returned to New Orleans and in November 1861 stood unsuccessfully for election as a justice of the peace. Reportedly, Bouligny fought a number of duels (at least one per month between late 1861 and mid 1862) due to his support for the Union. His left hand was shot through in a duel on December 29, 1861, but he continued to duel into 1863 by which time his arm was also paralyzed. He was referred to as "probably the most famous duelist in the State" by Confederate sailor James M. Morgan. In 1862, after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation,
President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
engaged Bouligny to determine if Union-occupied New Orleans and other portions of Louisiana could hold early elections to send representatives to Congress. Once elections were approved, Bouligny ran for reelection to his vacant seat in Congress, but was handily defeated by
Benjamin Flanders Benjamin Franklin Flanders (January 26, 1816 – March 13, 1896) was a teacher, politician and planter in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1867, he was appointed by the military commander as the 21st Governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction, a ...
who had the backing of the Union military governor of Louisiana,
Benjamin Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is ...
. Bouligny won just 136 votes against Flanders's 2,184 votes. Bouligny attributed his loss to interference by Butler in the election, which Butler denied, and Bouligny was later (falsely) rumored to have shot Butler in a duel. Although Lincoln had considered appointing Bouligny to a position at the Port of New Orleans after he left Congress, after Bouligny lost his bid for reelection Lincoln was less willing to find a patronage position for him. Bouligny later returned to Washington where he died at his father-in-law's house in February 1864. He was interred in a Parker family plot at
Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...
.


Personal life

Bouligny was multilingual. French and Spanish were used in his family home and in correspondence with cousins in Europe, while he used English in letters with his wife. In Congress, he conducted business in English, although during the debate over the election of a
speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
for the 36th Congress, Bouligny responded to a quip from
Emerson Etheridge Henry Emerson Etheridge (September 28, 1819 – October 21, 1902) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 9th congressional district from 1853 to 1857, and again from 1859 to 1861. ...
, who had said he called "every man my friend who wears an honest face, speaks the English language, swears by the Holy Bible, and does not spell Constitution with a 'K,'" by asking if was he excluded from the remarks "because I do not speak the English language." Bouligny arrived in Washington as a bachelor, but on May 1, 1860, he married Mary Elizabeth Parker, the daughter of Washington merchant George Parker. The wedding was considered "perhaps the most brilliant wedding that has ever taken place in the Federal metropolis." The event was attended by President James Buchanan, several cabinet secretaries, and numerous members of Congress. Years later, the wedding was misidentified as where Buchanan learned of South Carolina's secession; however, that did not happen until December 1860. The couple had two daughters, Corrine and Felicie. Felicie's daughter, Odette Le Fontenay, was an opera singer in the 20th century. In 1867, as part of settling a long-standing property dispute, the
39th Congress The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865 ...
passed an act, awarding one-sixth of the land granted to Jean Antoine Bernard D'Autrive in 1765 to Bouligny's widow, Mary Elizabeth, and their two daughters in recognition of his loyalty to the Union. As the land was already deeded to others, however, the Bouligny heirs were entitled to claim of public lands elsewhere in the country at a price of $1.25 per acre. The following year, the
40th Congress The 40th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867, ...
passed a joint resolution suspending the act. When Mary Elizabeth, now married to
George Levey George Collins Levey (13 April 1835 – 13 April 1919), was an Australian politician and newspaper owner. Early life Levey was the son of George Levey of Camberwell Grove , and Great New Street in London. G. C. Levey was born in London and ...
, sought to claim the promised land in 1888, her petition was rejected by the Department of the Interior, a decision that was a year later affirmed by the Supreme Court. During the 1876 presidential election, the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
noted that Republican candidate
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
's only speech before the House as a member of Congress was in support of revoking the act.


See also

*
List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress This is a list of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress, Hispanic and Latino Americans who have served in the United States Congress. Persons included are identified as having a lineage from Spain or Latin America, a definiti ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouligny, John Edward 1824 births 1864 deaths Members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Louisiana Creole people of Spanish descent Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress People of Louisiana in the American Civil War Southern Unionists in the American Civil War Burials at the Congressional Cemetery 19th-century American politicians