Jefferson College was a college located in

Convent, Louisiana Convent (french: Couvent) is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States. It has been the parish seat since 1869. It is part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area . As of the 2010 census, its po ...

, operating under various names between 1830 and 1928. As of 2021, the site is a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

retreat center called Manresa House of Retreats, which, along with several historic homes in Convent, are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

College of Jefferson

The institution was established as the College of Jefferson in 1830, and chartered in 1831. The first building was completed in 1833, and the inaugural class began studies in 1834. Operation of the institution was sporadic for a time. The building burned down in 1842, and a new building was erected on the same foundation. American diplomat

Alexander Hill Everett Alexander Hill Everett (March 19, 1792 – June 28, 1847) was an American diplomat, politician, and Boston man of letters. Everett held diplomatic posts in the Netherlands, Spain, Cuba, and China. His translations of European literature, publish ...

briefly served as its head thereafter. The institution then closed in 1848 due to low enrollment.

Louisiana College

A new institution operated in the location as Louisiana College from 1853 to 1856. In 1860, when it experienced financial difficulties and was on the verge of total collapse, plantation owner

Valcour Aime François-Gabriel "Valcour" Aime (1797–1867) was a slave owner, sugar planter, philanthropist, and pioneer in the large-scale refining of sugar. Known as the "Louis XIV of Louisiana," he was reputedly the wealthiest person in the South. Aime ow ...

rescued the complex by purchasing it.Fortier, Alcee, A History of Louisiana Volume 3 (1904). From 1860 to 1862, the campus operated for the first time under the name Jefferson College, and a chapel was added. From 1862 to 1864, the buildings were occupied by Federal troops.

St. Mary's College of Jefferson

In July 1864, the institution again reopened as St. Mary's College of Jefferson. Aime gave the entire college to the

Marist Fathers The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in ...

. According to some accounts, his motivation in securing this transfer to a sectarian entity was to prevent the state from obligating the school to open its doors to freed blacks. Another source states, as an alternative explanation, that Aime was merely "anxious to see the college re-opened", and therefore "gave his shares to the rieststhat they might conduct the school". The school thereafter operated continuously until it again closed in 1928 due to low enrollment. Among its alumni was

Etienne J. Caire Étienne Joseph Caire I, (September 17, 1868 – July 16, 1955), was an American merchant, pharmacist, sugar cane Planter (American South), planter, and banker from Edgard, Louisiana, Edgard in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, St. John ...

, who owned the E. J. Caire Store in Edgard and was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

against

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

Manresa House of Retreats

Caire founded the Manresa retreat center in 1922, now run by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Notable alumni

, who owned the E. J. Caire Store in Edgard and was the

against

. * U.S. Senator from Louisiana

Walter Guion Walter Guion (April 3, 1849February 7, 1927) was a United States senator from Louisiana. Born near Thibodaux, Louisiana, Thibodaux, he was tutored at home and then attended Jefferson College (Louisiana), Jefferson College in St. James Parish, L ...

. * Louisiana Supreme Court justices Samuel A. LeBlanc and

William Gillespie Wyly William Gillespie Wyly (February, 1831 – September 25, 1903) was a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from November 1, 1868, to November 3, 1876. Born in Greeneville, Tennessee, Wyly graduated from Jefferson College. He was elected a Dist ...

References

Defunct private universities and colleges in Louisiana Education in St. James Parish, Louisiana 1830 establishments in Louisiana 1928 disestablishments in the United States {{Louisiana-stub