Urbain Ozanne (May 8, 1835 – August 11, 1903) was a French-born American political organizer, sheriff, and businessman. He was a Republican Party organizer and served as sheriff in Panola County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. He later became a businessman in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

operating a mail route and hotel. He served at the January 1868 "Black and Tan" Republican Party convention held in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. He and other participants were disparaged viciously in

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 ...

and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

-sympathizing newspaper accounts. As sheriff in Mississippi toward the end of the Reconstruction era, he tried to stem rampant

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

paramilitary violence. The

Mississippi Plan The Mississippi Plan of 1875 was developed by white Southern Democrats as part of the white insurgency during the Reconstruction Era in the Southern United States. It was devised by the Democratic Party in that state to overthrow the Republican Pa ...

helped restore Democrats to power in 1875 and " Radicals" standing in the way of a restoration of white supremacy were ousted from office by the "

redeemers The Redeemers were a political coalition in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction era of the United States, Reconstruction Era that followed the American Civil War, Civil War. Redeemers were the Southern wing of the Democratic Par ...

Biography

Ozanne was born in France. In 1865 he wrote to the governor of Tennessee on behalf of a "colored" couple whose children remained enslaved. Adelian Ozanne (1857–1864) was buried at a plot owned by Urbain Ozanne. The

Mississippi Historical Society The Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) is a historical society located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The society was established in 1858 but was terminated soon after because of the outbreak of the American Civil War. It remained in hiatus u ...

published an account in 1913 of the Reconstruction era in Panola County lamenting "

negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

carpetbag A carpet bag is a top-opening travelling bag made of carpet, commonly from an oriental rug. It was a popular form of luggage in the United States and Europe in the 19th century, featuring simple handles and only an upper frame, which serve ...

" rule and the Republicans' "

Scalawag In United States history, the term scalawag (sometimes spelled scallawag or scallywag) referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction policies and efforts after the conclusion of the American Civil War. As with the term '' carpetb ...

" supporters. It describes Ozanne as a

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Frenchman who worked as a barber before moving to Mississippi to farm. He became active in politics as a Republican organizer. He was unpopular with white Democrats for his work to protect African Americans and their rights, especially voting. His work organizing African American Republicans led to its candidates being referred to as the Ozanne faction. Ozanne owned a hotel in

, ''Hotel Ozanne'', which he deeded to his son.

References

American people of French descent Mississippi sheriffs American political activists 1835 births 1903 deaths {{US-activist-stub