Julien de Lallande Poydras
Encyclopedia
Julien de Lallande Poydras (April 3, 1746 – June 14, 1824) was a French
-American
politician who served as Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the United States House of Representatives
.
He was born in Rezé
(near Nantes
), Brittany
, France
. He served in the French Navy
, and was captured by the British
in 1760 and taken to England
. He escaped on board a West Indian merchantman
to Saint-Domingue
, from which he immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana
in 1768.
Poydras built Maison Chenal in Point Coupee Parish in the late eighteenth century.
Poydras wrote the first poetry
published in Louisiana
in 1779. He was president of the first legislative council of the Territory of Orleans. He founded the Female Orphan Asylum in New Orleans, and was elected to the House, serving from March 4, 1809 - March 3, 1811. He was the president of the first state Constitutional Convention. He founded and endowed the Poydras Asylum, and died in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. He was originally interred in Old St. Francis Cemetery, then he was reinterred on the grounds of the Poydras High School
, New Roads, Louisiana
.
One of the main streets of the New Orleans Central Business District is named Poydras Street in his honor.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served as Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
He was born in Rezé
Rezé
Rezé is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.It was also called Ratiate in the Middle Ages and Rezay in the High Middle Ages.Inhabitants of Rezé are called Rezéens.-Panorama:...
(near Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
), Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He served in the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, and was captured by the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1760 and taken to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He escaped on board a West Indian merchantman
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
to Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, from which he immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in 1768.
Poydras built Maison Chenal in Point Coupee Parish in the late eighteenth century.
Poydras wrote the first poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
published in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in 1779. He was president of the first legislative council of the Territory of Orleans. He founded the Female Orphan Asylum in New Orleans, and was elected to the House, serving from March 4, 1809 - March 3, 1811. He was the president of the first state Constitutional Convention. He founded and endowed the Poydras Asylum, and died in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. He was originally interred in Old St. Francis Cemetery, then he was reinterred on the grounds of the Poydras High School
Poydras High School
Poydras High School was a school located on Louisiana Highway 1 in the city of New Roads, Louisiana, United States.The school came into existence, in the early 19th century, in the form of several public schools in the parish known as "Poydras Schools"...
, New Roads, Louisiana
New Roads, Louisiana
New Roads is a city in and the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The center of population of Louisiana is located in New Roads . The population was 4,996 at the 2000 census. The city's ZIP code is 70760...
.
OBITUARY of Julien Poydras 1824 , on the 25th of June, at Point Coupee, Louisiana; JULIEN POYDRAS, esq. Mr. P. was a man of very large fortune, and magnificent disposition. He was the' first Delegate in Congress, from the territory of Orleans. The act, which no doubt will do most honour to his memory, is the foundation of the Female Orphan Asylum, to which he devoted £100,000. Long after many celebrated names shall have been sunk in oblivion, the name of Julien Poydras will be remembered by the innocent creatures who, by his wise providence and humanity, shall have been sheltered against the misfortune and danger which result from misery, for a weak defenceless sex. By his will he left for a college at Point Coupee, 20,000 dollars. For marriage portions to poor girls of said parish, 30,000 dollars. To each of his god-sons and goddaughters, 5,000 dollars. For marriage portions to poor girls of the parish of West Baton RougeWest Baton Rouge Parish, LouisianaWest Baton Rouge Parish is one of the sixty-four parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the smallest in total area. The parish seat is Port Allen and as of 2010, the population was 23,788. The parish has a highly-rated school system and is one of the few in Louisiana that has privatized...
, 30,000 dollars. To the Charity Hospital of New Orleans, his bouse on the Levee, between St. Lours and Cenli streets, and his house in Bourbon street. To the Poydras Female Asylum, all his houses in Poydras street, and on the Batture. The remainder of his fortune goes to his family with the exception of some legacies to his friends. In Ponte Coupee the legacy has been diverted to educational purposes, but in West Baton Rouge it continues in its original use. Poydras himself was a bachelor. It is said that, when he came to Louisiana, he owned little more than the pack on his back and, as the girl he loved was too poor to furnish a dowry, it was impossible for them to marry.
One of the main streets of the New Orleans Central Business District is named Poydras Street in his honor.
External links
- Eshelman-Lee, Julie. The Louisiana Purchase: A Dramatic Change for Point Coupéeans 1803-1815: p. 61-5.