Tag: Edward Livingston
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Auguste Davezac, the Creole Celebrity That History Forgot
A noise began from the back of the massive crowd, light at first, then swelling gradually as it spread, as the next speaker was introduced to the throng of some 6,000 present. The name of Major Davezac was repeated, ever more loudly, by a thousand voices, as an older gentleman removed his top hat and…
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The Letter That Tried to Scuttle the Baratarians’ Pardon
If George Poindexter had been Sec. of War or President during the end of the War of 1812, the Laffites and Baratarians would never have been pardoned for their past smuggling offenses even though they had given service and assistance to General Andrew Jackson at New Orleans. Poindexter, who served as a volunteer aide…
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Jean Laffite’s Curious Payment of Attorney Fees for the John Andrew Whiteman Defense
Jean Laffite regularly employed attorneys in the course of his business, and legal fees were a big part of his ordinary expenses. How big a part we may never know, as we don’t have access to his ledger books. He does not usually mention attorney fees in his journal, even when recounting events that involved…
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Edward Livingston: A Famous Man That Few Have Heard Of
Many people are born into obscurity, lead undistinguished lives, and die in obscurity. They never arrive at prominence, and neither do they feel any particular need to appear in the limelight. No statues are erected in their honor, no streets are named after them. And neither they nor their descendants feel at all slighted…