John McEnery (politician)

John McEnery

John McEnery (born March 31, 1833 in Petersburg , Virginia , † March 28, 1891 in Washington DC ) was an American politician and in 1873 governor of the state of Louisiana .

Early years

As early as 1835, John McEnery came to Monroe , Louisiana with his family . He later attended Hanover College in Indiana and what is now Tulane University , where he studied law. In 1857 he was employed by the federal government's land administration in Monroe.

Political career

During the Civil War , he made it to lieutenant colonel in a Louisiana infantry unit. In 1866 he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, from which he was removed by the military commander in 1867. In 1872 he ran as a candidate for the Democratic Party for governor.

Controversial gubernatorial elections

This year's gubernatorial elections in Louisiana were very controversial. McEnery ran against Republican William P. Kellogg . Acting Governor Henry C. Warmoth actively supported McEnery, although he was not a member of his Republican Party. The outcome was very close and an election committee appointed by Warmoth declared McEnery the election winner. The result was challenged by Kellogg. Another electoral committee confirmed Kellog's election victory. Meanwhile, on January 14, 1873, McEnery was sworn in as the new governor. At the same time, Kellogg was introduced as governor at a counter-event. Louisiana thus had two governors at the same time. In September 1874, 5,000 racist White League underground fighters attacked 3,500 Louisiana police and militia officers in New Orleans in an attempt to forcibly overthrow Kellogg. The fighting went down in state history as the Battle of Liberty Place . This chaos was finally ended by President Ulysses S. Grant , who sent troops to New Orleans and declared Kellogg the election winner on September 20, 1873.

Another résumé

After his hopes for governorship ended, McEnery became a lawyer in New Orleans . He was married to Mary G. Thompson and died on March 28, 1891 in Washington. His brother Samuel was Governor of Louisiana from 1881 to 1888.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• John McEnery in the National Governors Association (English)
• The Governors of Louisiana (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Nicholas Lemann, Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War. , Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, New York 2006, ISBN 0-374-24855-9 , pages 76-77. (English, accessed from Google Books on November 21, 2014).