Louis A. Wiltz

Louis A. Wiltz
Louis A. Wiltz
29th Governor of Louisiana
	In office; January 14, 1880 – October 16, 1881
Lieutenant	Samuel D. McEnery
Preceded by	Francis T. Nicholls
Succeeded by	Samuel D. McEnery
15th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
	In office; April 24, 1877 – January 14, 1880
Governor	Francis T. Nicholls
Preceded by	Caesar Antoine
Succeeded by	Samuel D. McEnery
25th Mayor of New Orleans
	In office; November 30, 1872 – November 30, 1874
Preceded by	Benjamin Flanders
Succeeded by	Charles J. Leeds
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
	In office; 1868
Personal details
Born	January 21, 1843; New Orleans, Louisiana
Died	October 16, 1881 (aged 38); New Orleans, Louisiana
Resting place	St Louis Cemetery No 1; New Orleans, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Micael Bienvenu
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Rank	Captain
Unit	Chalmette Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Louis Alfred Wiltz (January 21, 1843 – October 16, 1881) was an American politician from the state of Louisiana. He served as 29th Governor of Louisiana from 1880 to 1881 and before that time was mayor of New Orleans, lieutenant governor of Louisiana, and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Biography[edit]

Wiltz was born on January 21, 1843^[3] in New Orleans to J.B. Theophile Wiltz and the former Louise Irene Villanueva. His paternal family were among the first German settlers in Louisiana and his mother came from a noble Spanish family, her father coming to Louisiana with the Spanish Army.^[4] He attended public school until the age of 15, when he began work with Plauche and Company. After the company failed, Wiltz became the clerk for the Second District Court of Louisiana. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Wiltz joined the Confederate States Army as a private but quickly rose to the rank of captain. In 1863, Wiltz married Micael Bienvenu of St. Martinville, the seat of St. Martin Parish. They had four daughters and one son.

In 1868, Wiltz was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and the New Orleans School Board. In 1872, he was elected mayor but could not take office until January 1873 because of the refusal of the Republican mayor to vacate the office. In addition to serving two years as mayor, Wiltz was once again elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and served as lieutenant governor. He was succeeded by E. D. Estilette.^[5]

With the implementation of the new Louisiana state constitution of 1879, the gubernatorial term of Francis T. Nicholls was cut short by one year. An election was held in 1879, and Louis Wiltz easily defeated his Republican opponent. Wiltz's term as governor was one rife with corruption. The corrupt Louisiana Lottery continued to have influence over the state legislature. The state treasurer, Edward A. Burke, embezzled state funds while the public schools were neglected, and black disenfranchisement continued.

Wiltz died of tuberculosis while in office on October 16, 1881, in New Orleans. Lieutenant Governor Samuel D. McEnery, a fellow Democrat, succeeded Wiltz.

References[edit]

^ "Louis Alfred Wiltz". Find A Grave. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
^ Bartlett, Napier (1875). Military Record of Louisiana. L Graham & Company. p. 28.
^ Onofrio, Jan (1999). Louisiana Biographical Dictionary. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 303. ISBN 9780403098170. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
^ "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, (1900) p. 83.
^ Andrews, Elisha Benjamin (1903). The United States in our own time; a history from reconstruction to expansion; being an extension of "The history of the last quarter century. C. Scribner's Sons. pp. 160–67.Internet Archive

External links[edit]

Party political offices
Preceded by Francis T. Nicholls	Democratic nominee for Governor of Louisiana 1879	Succeeded by Samuel D. McEnery
Political offices
Preceded by Benjamin F. Flanders	Mayor of New Orleans November 30, 1872 – November 30, 1874	Succeeded by Charles J. Leeds
Preceded by Charles W. Lowel	Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Louis A. Wiltz (Disputed) Michael Hahn 1875	Succeeded by E. D. Estilette Wheeler Compromise
Preceded by C.C. Antoine	Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana 1877–1880	Succeeded by Samuel D. McEnery
Preceded by Francis T. Nicholls	Governor of Louisiana 1880–1881	Succeeded by Samuel D. McEnery

[Grave-1] "Louis Alfred Wiltz". Find A Grave. Retrieved January 20, 2018.

[Bartlett-2] Bartlett, Napier (1875). Military Record of Louisiana. L Graham & Company. p. 28.

[Onofrio-3] Onofrio, Jan (1999). Louisiana Biographical Dictionary. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 303. ISBN 9780403098170. Retrieved January 20, 2018.

[4] "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, (1900) p. 83.

[5] Andrews, Elisha Benjamin (1903). The United States in our own time; a history from reconstruction to expansion; being an extension of "The history of the last quarter century. C. Scribner's Sons. pp. 160–67.Internet Archive

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v t e Governors of Louisiana
State (1812–1861)	Claiborne Villeré Robertson Thibodaux H. Johnson Derbigny Beauvais Dupré Roman White Roman Mouton I. Johnson Walker Hébert Wickliffe Moore
Confederate (1861–1865)	Moore H. Allen
Union (1862–1865)	Shepley Hahn
Reconstruction (1865–1868)	Wells Flanders Baker
State (since 1868)	Warmoth Pinchback J. McEnery Kellogg Packard Nicholls Wiltz S. McEnery Nicholls M. J. Foster Heard Blanchard Sanders Hall Pleasant Parker Fuqua Simpson H. Long King O. Allen Noe Leche E. Long Jones Davis E. Long Kennon E. Long Davis McKeithen E. Edwards Treen E. Edwards Roemer E. Edwards M. Foster Blanco Jindal J. Edwards Landry

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	Germany Israel United States
Other	SNAC

Biography[edit]

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References[edit]

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