John Theodore Ludeling (January 17, 1827 – January 27, 1891) was 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 ...

from November 1, 1868 to January 9, 1877.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...

,''Celebration of the Centenary of the Supreme Court of Louisiana'' (March 1, 1913), in John Wymond, Henry Plauché Dart, eds., ''The Louisiana Historical Quarterly'' (1922), p. 120. Ludeling entered

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

at the age of 12, but did receive a degree. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in Monroe to gain

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Louisiana. He was a lifelong Republican,"Hon. John T. Ludeling, Ouachita Parish", ''The New Orleans Times-Democrat'' (January 23, 1891), p. 1. opposing secession at the outset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and refusing to take up arms against either side. His principled neutrality won him political support, and after the war he was called to serve in the 1867 Constitutional Convention.

Judicial service and later life

In 1868, Governor

Henry C. Warmoth Henry Clay Warmoth (May 9, 1842 – September 30, 1931) was an American attorney and veteran Civil War officer in the Union Army who was elected governor and state representative of Louisiana. A Republican, he was 26 years old when elected as 23 ...

appointed Ludeling Chief Justice of the state supreme court, making him the fifth person to hold that office, but the first Louisiana native to do so. Ludeling served until 1877, when Governor

Francis T. Nicholls Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls (August 20, 1834January 4, 1912) was an American attorney, politician, judge, and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served two terms as the 28th Governor of L ...

appointed an entirely new court. Ludeling thereafter attained great wealth as president of Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway.

Personal life and death

In 1855, Ludeling married Maria Copley Larkin, with whom he had four children. Later in life, he retired to a plantation home near Monroe called Killeden Plantation. He died there at the age of 68, following a period of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludeling, John T. Chief Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court 1827 births 1891 deaths People from Monroe, Louisiana Saint Louis University alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Louisiana Republicans