Maunsel White
Encyclopedia
Colonel Maunsel White was an Episcopalian Irish-American politician
, merchant
, and entrepreneur
. He is remembered for promoting the use of peppers
and peppery sauces — a brand of which his descendants still manufacture today. Although he is usually associated with New Orleans, he also resided in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
, where he owned Deer Range Plantation
, in addition to three other plantations.
around 1783, White immigrated to the United States
as a penniless thirteen year old. He first settled in Louisville, Kentucky
, where he became closely acquainted with future U.S. President Zachary Taylor
. He moved to New Orleans around 1800.
White married a French Creole
, Celestine de la Ronde, who hailed from a wealthy New Orleans family allied with military leader and future U.S. president Andrew Jackson
. On Celestine's death, White married her sister, Heloise.
White died in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on December 17, 1863.
, White bore the rank of captain and commanded the Louisiana Blues, a company of uniformed volunteers that participated in the Battle of New Orleans
.
White became acquainted with General Andrew Jackson
, commander of the American forces at New Orleans, who appointed him to negotiate with the defeated British
regarding the exchange of prisoners and restitution of slaves. (White maintained a lifelong friendship with Jackson, for whom he served as a cotton factor
from 1826 until Jackson's death in 1845.)
When White heard a British soldier remark that the battle had been "a mere skirmish," White replied, "One more such skirmish and devilish few of you will ever get back to tell the story."
It may have been during wartime that White obtained the title "Colonel
," although, as was tradition in the antebellum South
, the rank may have been more honorary than literal.
business, Maunsel White and Company, which also sold sugar
, molasses
, tobacco
, pork
, and corn
.
By 1845 White had retired as an active partner in Maunsel White and Company in order to focus on growing sugarcane
on his plantations, particularly Deer Range, where he made his home. White tried to operate Deer Range as a model plantation, investing heavily in new equipment to modernize and streamline sugar production. Although he primarily produced sugar at Deer Range Plantation, White also grew large amounts of corn, as well as small amounts of rice
and indigo
.
A large slaveholder (he owned over two hundred slaves at Deer Range alone), White once wrote to an acquaintance, "I have made myself a solemn promise never to sell a Negro — it is a traffic I have never done. I would rather give them their liberty than sell them." Yet DeBow's Review, a planter's journal in which White invested, once noted in print that White "thinks the South can never maintain her strength except by the opening of new sources of supply of labor, and thus favors the slave-trade."
White became a member of the city of New Orleans' Finance Committee, during which time he suggested a successful plan for making property owners pay the cost of paving streets in the rainy, semi-tropical city. He also put forth an unsuccessful plan to protect the low-lying city from flooding. As president of one of several railroad conventions, White labored to bring this relatively new method of transportation to Louisiana.
Governor Henry Johnson
of Louisiana appointed White one of the first board members for the newly founded University of Louisiana
(not to be confused with the present-day University of Louisiana). White often made personal donations to that institution, now known as Tulane University
.
In 1846 White was elected to the Louisiana Senate as a “Democratic-Unionist.” During his four years in office he served on the Committees of Finance and Commerce, and he often served as President Pro Tem of the Senate.
, and as an inventor of two sauces, one a pepper sauce
, and the other a wine sauce.
An 1850 New Orleans Daily Delta newspaper article (reprinted in several other sources at the time) noted that "Col. White has introduced the celebrated tobasco [sic] red pepper, the very strongest of all peppers, of which he has cultivated a large quantity with the view of supplying his neighbors, and diffusing it through the state." Furthermore, observed the newspaper, "by pouring strong vinegar on it after boiling, he has made a sauce or pepper decoction of it, which possesses in a most concentrated form all the qualities of the vegetable. A single drop of this sauce will flavor a whole plate of soup or other food."
Although White never marketed this pepper sauce, his heirs advertised it for sale beginning in 1864, a year after White's death (as "Maunsel White’s Concentrated Essence of Tobasco [sic] Pepper"). The White family apparently ceased production of this sauce in the late nineteenth-century. (McIlhenny Company, maker of world-famous Tabasco
brand pepper sauce, denies persistent claims that its founder, E. McIlhenny, obtained his peppers and pepper sauce recipe from Maunsel White.)
White's other sauce, known as "Maunsel White's 1812 Sauce," contains a mixture of wines, peppers, and spices. According to White family lore, White invented his 1812 Sauce to commemorate the victory of his friend Andrew Jackson
at the Battle of New Orleans
. In fact, White supposedly first served the sauce during a dinner at his Deer Range Plantation in Jackson's honor. The present-day White family still manufactures this wine sauce on a limited basis and sells it primarily in the New Orleans area.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He is remembered for promoting the use of peppers
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
and peppery sauces — a brand of which his descendants still manufacture today. Although he is usually associated with New Orleans, he also resided in Plaquemines Parish, 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...
, where he owned Deer Range Plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, in addition to three other plantations.
Background
Born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
around 1783, White immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a penniless thirteen year old. He first settled in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where he became closely acquainted with future U.S. President Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. He moved to New Orleans around 1800.
White married a French Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
, Celestine de la Ronde, who hailed from a wealthy New Orleans family allied with military leader and future U.S. president Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. On Celestine's death, White married her sister, Heloise.
White died in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on December 17, 1863.
Military experience
During the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, White bore the rank of captain and commanded the Louisiana Blues, a company of uniformed volunteers that participated in the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
.
White became acquainted with General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, commander of the American forces at New Orleans, who appointed him to negotiate with the defeated British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
regarding the exchange of prisoners and restitution of slaves. (White maintained a lifelong friendship with Jackson, for whom he served as a cotton factor
Cotton factor
In the antebellum South, most cotton planters relied on cotton factors to sell their crops for them....
from 1826 until Jackson's death in 1845.)
When White heard a British soldier remark that the battle had been "a mere skirmish," White replied, "One more such skirmish and devilish few of you will ever get back to tell the story."
It may have been during wartime that White obtained the title "Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
," although, as was tradition in the antebellum South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, the rank may have been more honorary than literal.
Business career
Possessing only an informal education, White entered business as an accounting clerk, and over many years worked his way into a position of wealth and influence in New Orleans. He eventually founded his own cotton factorCotton factor
In the antebellum South, most cotton planters relied on cotton factors to sell their crops for them....
business, Maunsel White and Company, which also sold sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
.
By 1845 White had retired as an active partner in Maunsel White and Company in order to focus on growing sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
on his plantations, particularly Deer Range, where he made his home. White tried to operate Deer Range as a model plantation, investing heavily in new equipment to modernize and streamline sugar production. Although he primarily produced sugar at Deer Range Plantation, White also grew large amounts of corn, as well as small amounts of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
and indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
.
A large slaveholder (he owned over two hundred slaves at Deer Range alone), White once wrote to an acquaintance, "I have made myself a solemn promise never to sell a Negro — it is a traffic I have never done. I would rather give them their liberty than sell them." Yet DeBow's Review, a planter's journal in which White invested, once noted in print that White "thinks the South can never maintain her strength except by the opening of new sources of supply of labor, and thus favors the slave-trade."
Political career & civic leadership
In 1812 White was elected to the New Orleans City Council.White became a member of the city of New Orleans' Finance Committee, during which time he suggested a successful plan for making property owners pay the cost of paving streets in the rainy, semi-tropical city. He also put forth an unsuccessful plan to protect the low-lying city from flooding. As president of one of several railroad conventions, White labored to bring this relatively new method of transportation to Louisiana.
Governor Henry Johnson
Henry Johnson (Louisiana)
Henry Johnson was the fifth Governor of Louisiana, and served as a United States Representative and as a United States Senator....
of Louisiana appointed White one of the first board members for the newly founded University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana may refer to:* University of Louisiana System, public multi-campus university system** Northwestern State University of Louisiana...
(not to be confused with the present-day University of Louisiana). White often made personal donations to that institution, now known as Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
In 1846 White was elected to the Louisiana Senate as a “Democratic-Unionist.” During his four years in office he served on the Committees of Finance and Commerce, and he often served as President Pro Tem of the Senate.
Peppers and sauces
Despite his varied career in business, politics, and civic matters, White is best-known today as an enthusiastic grower and promoter of peppersChili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
, and as an inventor of two sauces, one a pepper sauce
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
, and the other a wine sauce.
An 1850 New Orleans Daily Delta newspaper article (reprinted in several other sources at the time) noted that "Col. White has introduced the celebrated tobasco [sic] red pepper, the very strongest of all peppers, of which he has cultivated a large quantity with the view of supplying his neighbors, and diffusing it through the state." Furthermore, observed the newspaper, "by pouring strong vinegar on it after boiling, he has made a sauce or pepper decoction of it, which possesses in a most concentrated form all the qualities of the vegetable. A single drop of this sauce will flavor a whole plate of soup or other food."
Although White never marketed this pepper sauce, his heirs advertised it for sale beginning in 1864, a year after White's death (as "Maunsel White’s Concentrated Essence of Tobasco [sic] Pepper"). The White family apparently ceased production of this sauce in the late nineteenth-century. (McIlhenny Company, maker of world-famous Tabasco
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
brand pepper sauce, denies persistent claims that its founder, E. McIlhenny, obtained his peppers and pepper sauce recipe from Maunsel White.)
White's other sauce, known as "Maunsel White's 1812 Sauce," contains a mixture of wines, peppers, and spices. According to White family lore, White invented his 1812 Sauce to commemorate the victory of his friend Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
at the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
. In fact, White supposedly first served the sauce during a dinner at his Deer Range Plantation in Jackson's honor. The present-day White family still manufactures this wine sauce on a limited basis and sells it primarily in the New Orleans area.