Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (November 15, 1849 – August 14, 1928) was an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
civil rights activist, poet, historian, journalist, and customs officer primarily active in
.
In Louisiana he served as a militiaman during the Reconstruction era and was involved in the
Battle of Liberty Place. Later, he was a member of L'Union Louisianaise and wrote for the weekly of the same name. He also wrote for the daily paper, the ''Crusader,'' and taught at the
Couvent School in New Orleans.
In 1890, he was among the founders of the
Comité des Citoyens
The ('Citizens' Committee' in French) was a civil rights group made up of African Americans, whites, and Creoles. It is most well known for its involvement in ''Plessy v. Ferguson''. The Citizens' Committee was opposed to racial segregation and ...
, which fought the 1890
Separate Car Act through legal challenges, leading to the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
Case, ''
Plessy vs Ferguson'' (1896). He also wrote an important French-language history of
Creoles in America called ''
Nos Hommes et Notre Histoire'', the first such book written in French by a member of the
Louisiana Creoles of Color.
Later in life he moved to
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, where his son
Daniel had settled.
Life
Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes was born November 15, 1849 as one of at least five children of Pierre Jérémie Desdunes and Henriette Angélique (Sonty) Gaillard; siblings were Pierre Aristide, Joseph, Elmore, and Sarazin.
Their father, Pierre, lived in New Orleans at least as early as 1840 and was probably born in the city. The Desdunes family were
Saint Dominican Creole refugees who fled from
Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) during the 1791
Haitian Revolution,
[Vernhettes, Dan and Hanley, Peter]
"The Desdunes Family"
''The Jazz Archivist'', Tulane University, XXVII, 2014, pages 25-45. Accessed February 3, 2016. at which time they gained asylum in New Orleans. Rodolphe's education was likely provided by family and family friends
Armand Lanusse and
Joanni Questy, as well as at the
Couvent School.
[Anthony Appiah, Henry Louis Gates. ''Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience'', Oxford University Press, 2005]
Rodolphe's brother Pierre Aristide also became involved in civil rights as an adult. By profession, he was a poet, a cigar maker, a carpenter, and owner of a tobacco plantation. He fought in the American Civil War. He served on the board of directors of the Couvent School, which had been created by
Marie Couvent
Marie Bernard Couvent (c. 1757 – June 28, 1837), also known as Justin Fervin, Maria Gabriel Bernard Couvent, and Marie Justine Cirnaire, was an African-American philanthropist in New Orleans. She is best known for dedicating the property that wou ...
in 1848. In 1873 Aristide married Louise Mathilde Denebourg.
Rodolphe married Mathilde Cheval, and they lived for some time with her mother, also named Mathilde. Before 1880, they had children
Daniel (born in about 1873), Agnes (about 1873), Louise (about 1874), Coritza (born in 1876), and Wendelle (born winter 1876-1877). The Chevals may have descended from early Cheval settlers of the
Tremé
Tremé ( ) is a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered as Treme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, Faubourg Tremé; it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts as Trem ...
district, Pierre and Léandre.
In 1879, Rodolphe started a relationship with Clementine Walker, born in 1860 and a daughter of John and Ophelia Walker. Rodolphe and Clementine had at least four children, Mary Celine (March 25, 1879), John Alexander (1881), Louise (1889), and Oscar Alphonse (1892). Clementine died on September 23, 1893. Mary Celine later became known as Mamie Desdunes and was a blues pianist. Clementine lived near
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...
's godmother, and Jérémie and Henriette Desdunes were neighbors of Morton's mother. From this proximity, Morton learned the song he recorded as "Mamie's Blues" or "2:19 Blues" and attributed it to Mamie, singing, "Can’t give a dollar, give a lousy dime,/ I wanna feed that hungry man of mine." Other associates of Mamie included performer
Bunk Johnson
Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1879 – July 7, 1949) was an American prominent jazz trumpeter in New Orleans. Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although there is speculation that he may have been younger by as much as a dec ...
and promoters
Hattie Rogers
Hattie or Hatty may refer to:
People
*Hattie Alexander (1901–1968), American pediatrician and microbiologist
*Hattie Helen Gould Beck, birth name of burlesque dancer Sally Rand (1904–1979)
* Hattie Bessent (1908–2015), American psychiatric ...
and
Lulu White
Lulu White (Lulu Hendley, ca. 1868 – August 20, 1931) was a brothel madam, procuress and entrepreneur in New Orleans, Louisiana during the Storyville period.Landau, EmilyLulu White, KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana, 2010-11-29. Accessed ...
. Mamie married George Degay in 1898, and died of tuberculosis on December 4, 1911.
Oscar was also a musician. After his nephew Clarence's death in 1933, Oscar played with his band, the Joyland Revellers.
Rodolphe had three other daughters, possibly by Clementine, named Edna, Lucille, and Jeanne (born about 1893).
Militia
In the early 1870s during Reconstruction, Desdunes was a member of the
New Orleans Police Department
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts.
The NOPD has ...
. In 1874, under the command of former Confederate General and then adjutant general of the Louisiana Militia
James Longstreet, Desdunes was among the injured in the
Battle of Liberty Place, fought between the pro-Republican city, state, and federal forces, and a pro-Democratic, largely ex-Confederate group called the
White League
The White League, also known as the White Man's League, was a white paramilitary terrorist organization started in the Southern United States in 1874 to intimidate freedmen into not voting and prevent Republican Party political organizing. Its f ...
.
His experience was important to him. He remained a strong supporter of the rights and honors due to the black veterans of the
United States 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 ...
.
Political and civil service
Desdunes began to attend law courses at
Straight University
Straight University, after 1915 Straight College, was a historically black college that operated between 1868 and 1934 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After struggling with financial difficulties, it was merged with New Orleans University to form ...
in the early 1870s.
He graduated with a Bachelors of Law from
Straight University
Straight University, after 1915 Straight College, was a historically black college that operated between 1868 and 1934 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After struggling with financial difficulties, it was merged with New Orleans University to form ...
in the spring of 1882.
Desdunes was appointed in 1879 as secretary of the parish vice committee upon the resignation of Charles A. Baquie., was an active member of the
Odd Fellows, and translated rituals of his lodge, ''La Creole,'' into French. Also, he was a member of Lodge Amité Sincere No. 27.
In 1891 he was elected secretary of the Republican state central committee in Louisiana. He was a frequent contributor to Republican politics. In 1892, he was a speaker in a Louisiana Republican organizational rally, calling on blacks to support more moderate candidates with strong Louisiana ties. In 1897, Desdunes's activity included the support of Louisiana State Senator
Henry Demas
Henry Demas (1848–1900) was an enslaved African American who became a constable, state legislator, civil rights activist, and organizer of Southern University in Louisiana during the Reconstruction era.
Early life
Demas was born into slavery o ...
, denouncing lynching, calling for more schools, opposing the
poll tax, and denouncing the constitutional convention, which he felt sought to deprive black suffrage. He was a member of the Republican Committee until 1900.
From 1870 to 1885, Desdunes worked for the
U.S. Customs Service in New Orleans as a messenger and as a clerk. He also worked at the Customs office from 1891 to 1896, and from 1899 to 1912.
In 1880, Desdunes was appointed assistant cashier of the
New Orleans Customhouse by Collector
Algernon Sidney Badger Algernon may refer to:
* Algernon (name), a given name (includes a list of people and characters with the name)
* Algernon Township, Custer County, Nebraska
See also
* Treaty of Algeron, an agreement signed by the United Federation of Planets and ...
. In 1891 Desdunes was appointed chief clerk of the sub treasury in New Orleans.
In 1908, as a part of his Customs department duties, Desdunes was supervising the weighing of cargo on a ship when granite dust blew into his eyes, blinding him. He retired the following year and moved to
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
to live with his son, Daniel, who was a musician and activist there.
Civil rights activism
In the 1870s, Desdunes became involved in the pro-black rights Young Men's Progressive Association. As part of the
Compromise of 1877, most of the federal troops were withdrawn from the South, enabling white supremacists to work more freely to suppress black rights. In 1878, the association, with Desdunes an officer and
Thomas J. Boswell as president, were active in condemning lynchings: dozens of blacks had been killed in Louisiana in the 1870s. They noted the murders of Daniel Hill and Herman Bell of Ouachita Parish, Commodore Smallwood, Charles Carrol, John Higgins, and Washington Hill of Concordia Parish, Charles Bethel, Robert Williams, Munday Hill, James Stafford, Louis Postlewait, and William Henry of Tensas Parish.
In 1884, Rodolphe and his brother, Aristide, as well as
Paul Trévigne,
Arthur Estèves, and
Louis André Martinet, as a part of a group called L'Union Louisiannais, reopened the
Couvent School. Both Desdunes brothers served on the board of directors and Rodolphe also taught.
[Bell, Caryn Cossé, ''Rappelez-vous concitoyens': The Poetry of Pierre-Aristide Desdunes, Civil War Soldier, Romantic Literary Artist, and Civil Rights Activist'', University of Massachusetts Lowell] In 1887, a French-language weekly paper was produced in New Orleans under the same name (''L'Union Louisiannais'') with
Eugene Lucy (president),
Homer Plessy
Homer Adolph Plessy (born Homère Patris Plessy; 1862 or March 17, 1863 – March 1, 1925) was an American shoemaker and activist, best known as the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision ''Plessy v. Ferguson''. He staged an act of ...
(Vice President), Rodolphe Desdunes (recording secretary and solicitor),
Pierre Chevalier (treasurer), and O. Bart (solicitor). In 1889, Martinet formed the Republican newspaper, the ''Crusader'', and Desdunes was a frequent contributor. Publishing in both French and English, the ''Crusader'' took up the civil rights cause.
Desdunes was a part of the American Citizens' Equal Rights Association of Louisiana in 1890, protesting to the state assembly against legislation that imposed second-class status on blacks. He also wrote for other papers in Louisiana, such as the ''Business Herald'' in
Donaldsonville in 1904.
Comité des Citoyens
Desdunes was incensed by the 1890 Separate Car Act, writing in an 1891 letter to the editor in the ''Crusader'', "Among the many schemes devised by the Southern statesman to divide the races, none is so audacious and so insulting as the one which provides separate cars for black and white people on the railroads running through the state. It is like a slap in the face of every member of the black race, whether he has the full measure or only one-eighth of that blood." Aristide, Rodolphe and Daniel Desdunes, Louis Martinet, Eugene Luscy, Paul Bonseigneur, L. J. Joubert,
P. B. S. Pinchback
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (May 10, 1837 – December 21, 1921) was an American publisher, politician, and Union Army officer. Pinchback was the second African American (after Oscar Dunn) to serve as governor and lieutenant governor of a ...
,
Caesar Antoine, Homer Plessy and others formed the Comité des Citoyens to organize black civil rights efforts. Rodolphe enlisted his eldest son, Daniel, to violate the act to allow for its challenge in the courts. On February 24, 1892, Daniel boarded a train bound for Mobile, Alabama. While stopped at the corner of Elysian Fields and Claiborne in New Orleans, Daniel was arrested. However, Judge
John Howard Ferguson ruled that the Separate Car Act could not be enforced for interstate travel because the constitution only granted the federal government the authority to regulate inter-state travel and commerce. The Comité then challenged the law again, this time focusing on intrastate travel and Plessy volunteered to break the law.
Luscy, Bonseignure, Rodolphe Desdunes, Joubert, and Martinet secured Plessy's release on bail that same day. When the case, ''
Plessy vs. Ferguson'', finally reached the U. S. Supreme Court in 1896, it was found that Plessy's rights had not been violated, Desdunes writing, "our defeat sanctioned the odious principle of the segregation of the races." ''Comité des Citoyens'' activists
Albion Tourgee and James C. Walker defended in both cases. About that time the Comité and the ''Crusader'' both disbanded.
Historian and poet
Desdunes was very interested in the history and art of Creoles in Louisiana. From July through October 1895, Desdunes published translated excerpts from
Joseph Saint-Rémy’s five volume work, ''Pétion et Haïti'', for the ''New Orleans Crusader''.
Just before losing his sight, Desdunes finished a book about the contribution of Creoles to Louisiana history, ''Nos Hommes et Notre Histoire'', which was published in Quebec in 1911. In the book, Desdunes uses personal reminiscences and scholarly biography to explore the lives of remarkable men in letters, fine arts, music, war, peace, and teaching. The story starts with the role of free black soldiers under General
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
in the
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...
in the War of 1812 and continues to explore the contribution of creoles to Louisiana and to the United States. It contrasts this with the hatred, contempt, and injustice that were faced by the men described and all blacks faced. In this way, Desdunes' work follows the example of ''La Campagne De 1814-15'' by
Hippolyte Castra, a commonality that Desdunes points out by including Castra and Castra's activities in his book. The introduction of the original edition was written by
Louis Martin.
In Omaha, he continued to work on his poetry, submitting his work to various outlets. He also became close to others in the Omaha black community, particularly Father
John Albert Williams
John Albert Williams (February 28, 1866 – February 4, 1933) was a minister, journalist, and political activist in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born to an escaped slave and spoke from the pulpit and the newspapers on issues of civil rights, equality ...
, who praised Desdunes as "Omaha's Blind Negro Poet" in the ''Omaha World-Herald''. His poems in the Herald included praise for black soldiers serving in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, "To the French High Commission (Hommage de la population de couleur.)", and a tribute to Nebraska entitled "Aksarben, Eloge", both of which appeared in 1917.
[ o Headline ''Omaha World-Herald'' (Omaha, Nebraska) Saturday, October 6, 1917 Page: 4]
Death
He lived in his own house in Omaha with his wife, and died on August 14, 1928 of
cancer of the larynx
Laryngeal cancers are mostly squamous-cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the epithelium of the larynx.
Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of staging ...
. His remains were sent to New Orleans and he was interred in a family tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.
References
Further reading
* Thompson, Shirley Elizabeth. ''Exiles at Home: The Struggle to Become American in Creole New Orleans''. Harvard University Press, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desdunes, Rodolphe
1849 births
1928 deaths
African-American activists
Activists for African-American civil rights
American people of Haitian descent
19th-century American historians
19th-century American male writers
History of civil rights in the United States
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Republicans
Writers from New Orleans
Poets from Louisiana
Poets from Nebraska
Writers from Omaha, Nebraska
20th-century American historians
Straight University alumni
American poets in French
American writers in French
African-American Catholics
American police officers
American male non-fiction writers
Historians from Louisiana
20th-century African-American writers
African-American male writers