Andrew Dumont | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1872–1874 | |
| Louisiana State Senate | |
| In office 1874–1878 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1845 |
| Died | June 30,1885 (aged 39–40) |
| Political party | Republican |
Andrew J. Dumont (c. 1845 - June 30,1885) was a state legislator who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana State Senate during the Reconstruction era. [1]
Dumont was born a free man in 1845 in Plaquemines Parish,Louisiana,to mixed parents and a French father. [2] [1] He emigrated to Mexico where he obtained his education and served under Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico as an officer in the army. [1] After the surrender of Maximilian he started his own distillery but became dissatisfied with his life in Mexico. [2]
He returned from Mexico to Louisiana in 1866 and started as a distiller in New Orleans, [1] and became involved with politics almost immediately. [2]
During the reconstruction era he held a number of offices from police sergeant,a U.S marshal deputy,customs officer and recorder of Algiers. [1]
In 1872 Dumont was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and served until 1874 when he was elected to the Louisiana State Senate and served from 1874 until 1878. [1] During his senatorial service he was elected to be the chairman of the Republican state central executive committee from 1874 and served in that position until his death. [1] [2] He was a colonel in the state militia and fought against the White League in the New Orleans 1874 insurrection. [1]
He was appointed to the post of Naval Officer for New Orleans in July 1880,replacing James Lewis. [3] His ability with several foreign languages made him popular in the job as he could talk to many sailors in their native languages. [2]
The A. J. Dumont Base Ball Club was formed in the 1880s in Algiers and named after Dumont who was their patron. [4]
In 1881 he was selected along with eleven others to go to Washington to present an address outlining the views of the Louisiana Republicans to President James A. Garfield. [5]
A series of family and financial issues led him to commit suicide by shooting himself with a revolver at his home in Algiers,New Orleans on June 30,1885. [6] [1] He was survived by his wife and two children. [6]