Phanor Breazeale (December 29, 1858 – April 29, 1934) served three terms as a

U.S. representative 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 c ...

for Louisiana's 4th congressional district.

Early life and education

Born in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana, Breazeale attended private schools. In 1877, at the close of Reconstruction, he moved to Natchitoches, the parish seat. He worked in a mercantile establishment for two years and studied law. He relocated to New Orleans, where he was a clerk in 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 ...

. He graduated in 1881 from the d Tulane University Law School in New Orleans and was admitted to the bar that same year.

Early career

He began his law practice in Natchitoches, the oldest established city in the state. From 1882 to 1884, Breazeale was also engaged in newspaper work. From 1888 to 1891, he was the president of the Natchitoches Parish School Board. He was elected

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for the 10th Judicial District, having served from 1892 to 1899. He was a member of the Louisiana state constitutional convention in 1898, which drew up a document in existence for twenty-three years. Thereafter, he was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1921.

United States House of Representatives

Breazeale was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, and Fifty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1905). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1904, having been defeated by the attorney

John T. Watkins John Thomas Watkins (January 15, 1854 – April 25, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician who served eight terms as a U.S. representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district. Early life and education John Thomas Watkins was the ...

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

in Webster Parish.

After Congress

After leaving the House, he resumed the practice of law in Natchitoches. He was appointed in October 1908 as a member of a commission to codify Louisiana's criminal laws and to prepare a code of criminal procedure. Breazeale was a member of the Democratic State central committee from 1908 until his death. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

and again in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

. In a commencement address delivered in May 1918 at the former Ashland High School in Ashland in northern Natchitoches Parish, Breazeale focused on the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

during World War I and its record of service to which he urged the graduates to aspire.H. Welborn Ayres, "A History of Ashland, Louisiana", manuscript to Ramah Cemetery Association, 1979

Death

Breazeale died in Natchitoches and is interred at the Catholic Cemetery there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breazeale, Phanor 1858 births 1934 deaths Tulane University Law School alumni Journalists from Louisiana Politicians from Natchitoches, Louisiana Politicians from New Orleans District attorneys in Louisiana School board members in Louisiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Lawyers from New Orleans 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Burials in Louisiana Catholics from Louisiana