Zenon Labauve Jr.

Zénon Labauve Jr. (February 16, 1801 – September 25, 1870) was a Reconstruction-era justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the first Creole to serve on the court.[1]

Zénon Labauve Jr.
Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
In office
April 3, 1865 – November 1, 1868
Preceded byThomas Thompson Land
Succeeded byWilliam Gillespie Wyly
Personal details
Born(1801-02-16)February 16, 1801
West Florida, Spanish Empire
DiedSeptember 25, 1870(1870-09-25) (aged 69)
Iberville, Louisiana, United States

Labauve was born in 1801 in a portion of West Florida that would later become West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. His father, Pierre Labauve, was a Louisiana Creole born in St. James Parish and his mother was a native of France. He first won election to the Louisiana State Senate in 1834, but was defeated for reelection in 1838.[2] In 1838, he was elected the first mayor of the newly incorporated Plaquemine.[1][3] In July 1842 he was again elected to the state Senate as a Whig,[4] but the election results were cancelled. When the election was re-run in 1843, he was again successful. In 1844, he was elected to the state's Constitutional Convention of 1845. In a brief biographical sketch of Constitutional Convention delegates, The Times-Picayune newspaper noted "His speeches are generally brief, but give evidence of a sound thinker."[5] Despite desiring to retire from the state Senate, he was nominated once more and in 1851 reelected without opposition.[2]

After the Civil War, Labauve was appointed by the Reconstruction-era governor Michael Hahn to an associate justice seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. Labauve served from April 3, 1865, to November 1, 1868.[1] Prior to his appointment, Labauve had grown wealthy as a sugar planter and lawyer in the German Coast. He and his fellow appointees were considered "safe" and "loyal" and in alignment with the Federal government.[6] Labauve was the "[f]irst member of 'ancienne population'," meaning he was descended from a Creole family that was in Louisiana prior to the Sale of Louisiana, to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court.[1]

He died in 1870 in Iberville Parish.[3]

References
  1. "Zenon Labauve (1801 - 1870)". Louisiana Supreme Court. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. Livingston, John (1853). "Hon. Zenon Labauve". Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Americans Now Living. p. 364. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  3. Dart, Henry Plauché (1921). "The History of the Supreme Court of Louisiana". The Louisiana Historical Quartery. 4 (1): 120.
  4. "Whig Meeting". Baton-Rouge Gazette. Vol. XXIV, no. 13. May 7, 1842. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-08-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Brief Biographical Sketches (Number III)". The Times–Picayune. Vol. VIII, no. 192. New Orleans, Louisiana. September 5, 1844. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dart 1921, p. 51.


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