American politician
Henry Michael Hyams
|
---|
|
|
In office
1860?1864
|
Governor
| Thomas Overton Moore
|
---|
Preceded by
| William F. Griffin
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Benjamin W. Pearce
|
---|
|
In office
1855
|
|
|
Born
| March 4, 1806
Charleston, South Carolina
|
---|
Died
| June 25, 1875 (aged 69)
New Orleans, Louisiana
|
---|
Resting place
| Lafayette Cemetery, New Orleans, Louisiana
|
---|
Nationality
| American
|
---|
Political party
| Democratic Party
|
---|
Spouse
| Laurel Matilda Smith
|
---|
Occupation
| Lawyer, politician
|
---|
|
Henry Michael Hyams
(March 4, 1806 ? June 25, 1875) was an American lawyer, planter and
Democratic
politician. He served as the 7th Lieutenant Governor of
Louisiana
from 1862 to 1864 under Governor
Thomas Overton Moore
during the
American Civil War
, when Louisiana joined the
Confederate States of America
. He was an advocate of
slavery in the United States
.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Henry M. Hyams was born on March 4, 1806, in
Charleston, South Carolina
.
[1]
His cousin was
Judah P. Benjamin
(1811?1884).
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Hyams worked for the Canal Bank in
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
.
[6]
He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1830, and he joined the law firm Dunbar and Elgee in
Alexandria, Louisiana
, becoming one of the first Jews living in Alexandria.
[5]
He also operated a plantation.
[5]
Hyams moved to
New Orleans, Louisiana
, in 1853,
[6]
where he practised the law.
[1]
[5]
He then served as a clerk of the District Court of
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
. He was elected to the
Louisiana State Senate
as a
Democrat
in 1855.
[1]
He then served as the
Lieutenant Governor
of
Louisiana
from 1862 to 1864.
[2]
[3]
[4]
[7]
[8]
[9]
Hyams supported
slavery
.
[1]
Indeed, as early as the 1830s, he joined a
vigilante
group to defend the institution of slavery.
[1]
Personal life and death
[
edit
]
Hyams was an observant Jew.
[7]
He married Laurel Matilda Smith and had thirteen children. His son, Henry M. Hyams Jr. (1846?1887), became a lawyer and practiced law in New Orleans.
[10]
Hyams died on June 25, 1875, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His funeral was held by Rabbi
James Koppel Gutheim
, and he was buried in
Lafayette Cemetery
in New Orleans.
[11]
His obituary in
The Times-Picayune
described him as "a standard-bearer of the
ancient regime
."
[6]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Louisiana State University Libraries: Hyams (Henry M. and Family) Papers
- ^
a
b
Robert N. Rosen,
The Jewish Confederates
, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. xi
- ^
a
b
Eli N. Evans
,
Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate
, New York City: Simon and Schuster, 1988, p. 29
[1]
- ^
a
b
Marcie Cohen Ferris, Mark I. Greenberg,
Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History
, Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2006, p. 109
[2]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Alexandria, Louisiana
,
Institute of Southern Jewish Life
- ^
a
b
c
"Death of Gov. Henry M. Hyams"
.
The Times-Picayune
. New Orleans, Louisiana. June 26, 1875. p. 4
. Retrieved
August 13,
2017
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
Robert N. Rosen,
The Jewish Confederates
, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. 143
- ^
Jonathan D. Sarna, Adam Mendelsohn,
Jews and the Civil War: A Reader
, New York City: NYU Press, 2010, p. 37
[3]
- ^
Samuel S. Hill,
Religion in the Southern States: A Historical Study
, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1983, p. 143
[4]
- ^
Hyams (Henry M. and Family) Papers
,
LSU Libraries Special Collections
- ^
"Obsequies of the Late Lieut. Gov Henry M. Hyams"
.
The Times-Picayune
. New Orleans, Louisiana. June 28, 1875. p. 1
. Retrieved
August 13,
2017
– via
Newspapers.com
.