B. L. Lynch

Last updated
B. L. Lynch
Attorney General of Louisiana
In office
1865–1867
Personal details
Born1830 (1830)
County Limerick, Ireland
Political party Republican
Other political
affiliations
Moderate Republicans

Bartholomew Leahy Lynch [1] (born 1830 in County Limerick, Ireland) [2] [3] was an educator, lawyer, and the first Republican Attorney General of Louisiana, serving from 1865 to 1867 during the Reconstruction Era. [4] Lynch emigrated from Ireland in 1851 and settled near Alexandria, Louisiana. [5] He served as a lieutenant in the Louisiana State Militia after Louisiana seceded from the Union, though he claimed he was forced into service. Although he later voluntarily accepted a commission from the governor of Confederate Louisiana, he claimed to have never believed in the cause of the Confederacy. [1] In February 1864, Lynch was elected as Attorney General of Union-controlled "Free Louisiana" on the Moderate Republican ticket. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Wetta, Francis Joseph (1977). The Louisiana Scalawags. (Volumes I and II) (PhD thesis). Louisiana State University.
  2. Tunnell, Ted (1984-11-01). Crucible of Reconstruction: War, Radicalism, and Race in Louisiana, 1862–1877. LSU Press. ISBN   9780807154038.
  3. "DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF.; Proceedings and Incidents in New Orleans. SLAVERY AND THE FREED NEGROES.THE FREE STATE CONVENTION. ABUSE OF THE FREED PEOPLE. A REBEL RETAINS HIS SERVANTS PROPERTY. GOVERNOR OF THE STATE. SECRETARY OF STATE. STATE TREASURER. ATTORNEY-GENERAL. AUDITOR OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION". The New York Times. 1864-04-26. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  4. "Louisiana Former Attorneys General". National Association of Attorneys General. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  5. Caskey, Willie Malvin (1938). Secession and restoration of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press. p. 108.