List of Louisiana Creoles
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Louisiana Creole people
.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Louisiana Creoles or must have references showing they are Louisiana Creoles and are notable.
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Louisiana Creoles or must have references showing they are Louisiana Creoles and are notable.
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
- Veronica Porsche AliVeronica Porsche AliVeronica Porsche Ali is an American professional psychologist and the former wife of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.Porsche was born in Louisiana on December 16, 1955 to Ethel and Horace Porche and is of Louisiana Creole descent...
(1955) – actress and psychologist and the former wife of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. - Debbie AllenDebbie AllenDeborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
(1950) – actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities - Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin (1915–2007) – accordionist
- Amede ArdoinAmédé ArdoinAmédé Ardoin was an American Louisiana Creole musician, known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the Creole/Cajun Accordion...
(1898–1942) – zydeco musician - Richmond BarthéRichmond BarthéJames Richmond Barthé was an African American sculptor known for his many public works, including the Toussaint L’Ouverture Monument in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and a sculpture of Rose McClendon for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater House.Barthe once said that “all my life I have be interested in...
(1901–1989) – sculptor - Sidney BechetSidney BechetSidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
(1897–1959) – jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and composer - E.J. Bellocq (1873–1949) – photographer
- Barney BigardBarney BigardAlbany Leon Bigard, aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet....
(1906–1980) – jazz clarinetist - John BoutteJohn BouttéJohn Boutté is an American jazz singer based in New Orleans, Louisiana, who has been active since the mid 1990s. He is known for diverse music style that goes beyond jazz to R&B, gospel, Latin, and blues. He is the younger brother of the jazz and gospel singer Lillian Boutté.-Biography:Boutté was...
(1958) – jazz singer - Wellman BraudWellman BraudWellman Braud was a Creole American jazz upright bassist. His family sometimes spelled their last name "Breaux", pronounced "Bro"....
(1891–1966) – jazz upright bassist. - Anatole BroyardAnatole BroyardAnatole Paul Broyard was an American writer, literary critic and editor for The New York Times. In addition to his many reviews and columns, he published short stories, essays and two books during his lifetime...
(1920–1990) – native of New Orleans, 20th-century writer and critic who worked in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Calvin CarriereCalvin CarrièreCalvin Carriére was a Creole fiddler who played zydeco music. He was styled the King Of Zydeco Fiddle....
(1921–2002) – fiddler - Clifton ChenierClifton ChenierClifton Chenier , a Creole French-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana, was an eminent performer and recording artist of Zydeco, which arose from Cajun and Creole music, with R&B, jazz, and blues influences. He played the accordion and won a Grammy Award in 1983...
(1925–1987) – zydeco musician - Savannah ChurchillSavannah ChurchillSavannah Churchill was a successful American singer of pop, jazz, and blues music in the 1940s and 1950s.-Career:...
(1920–1974) – singer of pop, jazz, and blues music - Robert ColescottRobert ColescottRobert H. Colescott, was an American painter. He is known for satirical genre and crowd subjects, often conveying his exuberant, comical, or bitter reflections on being African-American. He studied with Fernand Léger in Paris...
(1925–2009) – painter - Warrington ColescottWarrington ColescottWarrington Colescott is an American artist best known for his satirical etchings. He lives and works in Hollandale, Wisconsin where he and his wife, artist Frances Myers, operate Mantegna Press.- Early life and influences :...
(1921) – artist - Louis Cottrell, Jr.Louis Cottrell, Jr.Louis Albert Cottrell, Jr. was a Louisiana Creole jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was the son of the influential drummer Louis Cottrell, Sr., and grandfather of New Orleans jazz drummer Louis Cottrell...
(1911–1978) – jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist - Edmonde Dede (1829–1903) – composer
- Geno DelafoseGeno DelafoseGeno Delafose is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from Cajun music and also country and western...
(1972) – zydeco accordionist - Toi DerricotteToi DerricotteToi Derricotte is an American poet and a professor of writing at University of Pittsburgh.At Wayne State University she earned a B.A. in 1965 and an M.A...
(1941) – poet and a professor of writing at the University of Pittsburgh - Brandon DeShazerBrandon DeShazerBrandon Makkole DeShazer is an American actor and former model.-Early life:DeShazer was born in Racine, Wisconsin to singer Bruce DeShazer and mother Brenda Buchanan. He is of African American and French-Creole and Native American descent...
(1984) – actor, model - Fats DominoFats DominoAntoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
(born 1928) – classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist - Sheila E.Sheila E.Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
(1957) – percussionist, singer, composer and producer
- Canray FontenotCanray FontenotCanray Fontenot was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest black Louisiana French fiddler of our time."-Early life:...
(1922–1995) – fiddle player - Alcée FortierAlcée FortierAlcée Fortier was a renowned Professor of Romance Languages at Tulane University in New Orleans. In the late 19th and early 20th century, he published numerous works on language, literature, Louisiana history and folklore, Louisiana Créole languages, and personal reminiscence. His perspective...
(1856–1914) – late 19th-century professor of languages and folklore; influential in preservation of the French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Louisiana - Vernel FournierVernel fournierVernel Anthony Fournier and, from 1975, known as Amir Rushdan, was a jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962....
(1928–2000) – jazz drummer - Norman FrancisNorman FrancisNorman C. Francis , is the president of Xavier University of Louisiana. He has been Xavier's president since 1968, making him the longest-tenured current leader of an American university...
(1931) – president of Xavier University of Louisiana.
- D'Jalma GarnierD'Jalma GarnierD'Jalma Garnier III is a musician and composer best known for Creole and Cajun fiddle and "outside" musical compositions and collaborations with other artists....
(1954) – musician and composer - Virginie Amelie Avegno GautreauVirginie Amélie Avegno GautreauVirginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau was a Parisian socialite, artists' model and an American expatriate. She is perhaps most widely known as the subject of John Singer Sargent's painting Portrait of Madame X.-Family:...
(1859–1915) – model and socialite - Sheryl St. GermainSheryl St. GermainSheryl St. Germain is an American poet, essayist, and professor.She is of Cajun and Creole descent. Her father was Jules St. Francois St. Germain and her mother Myrl Marie Frank. Born and raised in south Louisiana, much of her work deals with the culture and environment of Louisiana...
(1954) – poet, essayist, and professor. - Louis Moreau GottschalkLouis Moreau GottschalkLouis Moreau Gottschalk was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works...
(1829–1869) – composer and pianist, known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano pieces - George HerrimanGeorge HerrimanGeorge Joseph Herriman was an American cartoonist, best known for his classic comic strip Krazy Kat.-Early life:...
(1880–1944) – cartoonist, known for his comic strip Krazy Kat - Andrew HilaireAndrew HilaireAndrew Henry Hilaire was a jazz drummer active from the 1910s to early 1930s, highly regarded by his fellow musicians....
(1899–1935) – jazz drummer - Sidonie de la HoussayeSidonie de la HoussayeSidonie de la Houssaye, née Hélène Perret, pen name Louise Raymond was an American French language writer....
(1820–1894) – writer - Julien HudsonJulien HudsonJulien Hudson was a 19th Century free man of color who lived in New Orleans. He was a successful painter and art teacher. He is known as the first African American or French Creole of Color operating in America by whom a self-portrait was found....
(1811–1844) – painter and art teacher - Ice-TICE-T* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
(1958) – musician, actor - Queen IdaQueen IdaIda Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory is an Louisiana Creole accordionist. She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band...
(1929) – zydeco accordion player - Beau JocqueBeau JocqueBeau Jacques was an American zydeco musician active in the 1990s.Beau Jacques is known for his gruff vocals, his fusion of many musical styles onto zydeco, and above all, for the powerful energy of his rhythm and sound...
(1953–1999) – zydeco musician - Beverly JohnsonBeverly JohnsonBeverly Johnson is an American model, actress, and businesswoman. She made history when she rose to fame as the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974...
(1952) – model, actress, and businesswoman. - Sybil KeinSybil KeinSybil Kein is a Louisiana Creole poet, playwright, scholar, and musician.Dr. Provost largely created the field of Creole Studies through her early publications and presentations...
– poet, playwright, scholar and musician - Freddie KeppardFreddie KeppardFreddie Keppard was an early jazz cornetist.Keppard was born in the Creole of Color community of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. His older brother Louis Keppard was also a professional musician. Freddie played violin, mandolin, and accordion before switching to cornet...
(1890–1993) – jazz cornetist - Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
(born 1981) – R&B singer - Solange KnowlesSolange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
(born 1986) – R&B singer
- Delphine LaLaurieDelphine LaLaurieMarie Delphine LaLaurie , more commonly known as Madame LaLaurie, was a Louisiana-born socialite, known for her involvement in the torture of black slaves....
(1775–1842) – socialite - Charles Lucien LambertCharles Lucien LambertCharles Lucien Lambert, also known as Lucien Lambert , was a black American composer, born a free person of color in New Orleans before the American Civil War...
(1828–1896) – composer - Armand LanusseArmand LanusseArmand Lanusse was an Afro-Creole educator and poet who lived in New Orleans his entire life.Though he was light skinned enough to pass as white, Lanusse embraced his black ancestry, and devoted his life to the republican ideals of liberty and equality for African-Americans living in the United...
(1810–1867) – poet and educator - Carmen De LavalladeCarmen De LavalladeCarmen De Lavallade is a dancer, choreographer, professor and stage and film actress.-Early Years:Carmen De Lavallade was born in Los Angeles on March 6, 1931, to Afro-Creole parents from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was raised by her aunt who owned one of the first African American history...
(1931) – choreographer, actress - Sabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le Beauf is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux on the NBC situation comedy The Cosby Show...
(born 1958) – actress including role as Sandra on the television series The Cosby ShowThe Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992... - Rosie LedetRosie LedetRosie Ledet is a Creole Zydeco accordion player and singer.Raised in rural Louisiana, she listened to rock music in her youth. Although she was in an environment where zydeco was heard, she took little interest in the music at the time...
(1971) – zydeco singer and accordion player - Harry Lennix (1964) – actor
- Jules LionJules LionJules Lion , born in Paris, was an early American photographer. He was the first African American photographer, opening a daguerrotype studio in New Orleans in 1840 one year after the invention of the process...
(1809–1866) – photographer - Victor-Eugene McCartyVictor-Eugene McCartyVictor-Eugene McCarty , a Louisiana Creole, was one of the first of several prominent free black composers in New Orleans, best-known for publishing Fleurs de salon: 2 Favorite Polkas in 1854...
(born between 1817 and 1823) – composer - Adah Isaacs MenkenAdah Isaacs MenkenAdah Isaacs Menken was an American actress, painter and poet.-Life and career:There are significant inconsistencies in the various accounts of Menken's early life. In her autobiographical "Some Notes of her life in her own Hand,", Menken claimed she was born Marie Rachel Adelaide de Vere Spenser...
(1835–1868) – actress, painter, poet - Michel'leMichel'leMichel'le Toussant better known as Michel'le, is an American R&B singer-songwriter known for her squeaky, child-like speaking voice, which is a startling contrast to her strong vocals.-Career:...
(born 1970) – R&B singer, former girlfriend of Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
; married to Suge KnightSuge KnightMarion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including... - Lizzie MilesLizzie MilesLizzie Miles was the stage name taken by Elizabeth Mary Landreaux , an African American blues singer.-Career:...
(1895–1963) – blues singer - Morris W. MorrisMorris W. MorrisMorris W. Morris was a Jamaican-born American stage actor best known for his longtime performance in the role of "Mephistopheles" in "Faust". Morris was of English and Spanish ancestry....
(1845–1906) – American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
soldier of the Louisiana Native Guards; stage actor - Jelly Roll MortonJelly Roll MortonFerdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
(1885–1941) – virtuoso pianist, bandleader and composer; - Archibald MotleyArchibald MotleyArchibald John Motley, Junior was an African-American painter. He studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1910s, graduating in 1918...
(1891–1981) – painter
- Alice Dunbar NelsonAlice Dunbar NelsonAlice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson was an American poet, journalist and political activist. Among the first generation born free in the South after the Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance...
(1875–1935) – poet, journalist and political activist - Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
(1941) – soul and R&B singer and musician. - Kid OryKid OryEdward "Kid" Ory was a jazz trombonist and bandleader. He was born in Woodland Plantation near LaPlace, Louisiana.-Biography:...
(1886–1973) – jazz trombonist and bandleader - Jimmy PalaoJimmy PalaoJames "Jimmy" Palao, also James Florestan Palao February 19, 1879 - January 8, 1925 was the Leader of the Original Creole Orchestra and it is believed that he was the first to coin the term Jazz...
(1879 –1925) – jazz bandleader - Ernest "Doc" Paulin (1907–2007) – jazz trumpeter and bandleader
- Manuel Perez (musician)Manuel Perez (musician)Emanuel Perez – also known as Manuel - was an early New Orleans jazz cornetist and bandleader. Being a contemporary of Buddy Bolden, Perez is considered one of the originators, and was influential in crafting the early jazz and ragtime sound.-Life:Some details of his early life remain obscure...
(1871–1946) – clarinetist and bandleader - Fats PichonFats PichonWalter "Fats" Pichon was a jazz pianist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter.Pichon was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began playing piano in his childhood...
(1906–1967) – jazz pianist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter. - Alphonse PicouAlphonse PicouAlphonse Floristan Picou was an important very early jazz clarinetist who also wrote and arranged music....
(1878–1961) – jazz clarinetist - Armand J. PironArmand J. PironArmand John "A.J." Piron was an American jazz violinist, band leader, and composer.In 1915, Piron and Williams together started the Piron and Williams Publishing Company, and in their first year of business published Piron's composition, “I Wish That I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate”, which...
(1888–1943) – jazz violinist, band leader, and composer - Wardell QuezergueWardell QuezergueWardell Quezergue was an American music arranger, producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the “Creole Beethoven”. Wardell was born into a musical family with his father, Sidney Quezergue Sr., being a guitar player. Wardell was the second youngest of three brothers: Sidney...
(1930–2011) – music arranger, producer, and bandleader
- Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
(1948) – Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. - Robert Ri'chardRobert Ri'chardRobert Andrew Ri'chard is an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Ri'chard was born Robert Andrew Richard in Los Angeles, California...
(1983) – actor - Nicole RichieNicole RichieNicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo...
(1981) – television personality, fashion designer - Victor SejourVictor SéjourJuan Victor Séjour Marcou et Ferrand was an American expatriate writer who worked in France. Though mostly unknown to later African American authors, his short story "Le Mulâtre" is the earliest known work of fiction by an African American author.Séjour was born in New Orleans to a free mulatto...
(1817–1874) – writer - Omer SimeonOmer SimeonOmer Victor Simeon was an American jazz clarinetist. He also played soprano, alto, and baritone saxophone and bass clarinet....
(1902–1959) – jazz clarinetist - Terrance SimienTerrance SimienTerrance Simien is an American zydeco musician, vocalist and song writer. He and his band won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album for 2007....
(1965) – zydeco musician, vocalist, songwriter - Lorenzo Tio Jr. (1893–1933) – jazz clarinetist
- John Kennedy TooleJohn Kennedy TooleJohn Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, best-known for his posthumously published novel A Confederacy of Dunces. He also wrote The Neon Bible. Although several people in the literary world felt his writing skills were praiseworthy, Toole's novels were rejected...
(1937–1969) – author; won a Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for his Picaresque novelPicaresque novelThe picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
A Confederacy of DuncesA Confederacy of DuncesA Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published by LSU Press in 1980, 11 years after the author's suicide. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy and Toole's mother Thelma Toole, quickly becoming a cult classic, and later a...
(1980) - Jean ToomerJean ToomerJean Toomer was an American poet and novelist and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His first book Cane is considered by many as his most significant.-Early life:...
(1894–1967) – poet and novelist - Cedric WatsonCedric WatsonCedric Watson is an American musician. He has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards.-Career:Born in 1983, Cedric grew up in San Felipe, Texas surrounded by the blues, old soul, country, and zydeco music. Though hip-hop was then popular amongst his peers, Cedric developed an affinity for the...
(1983) – zydeco musician
Business
- Harold DoleyHarold DoleyAmbassador Harold E. Doley, Jr., is the Founder of Doley Securities, LLC., the oldest African American owned investment-banking firm in the nation. Doley Securities, LLC. provides investment products and services to institutional clients. Amb. Doley serves as the Chairman Emeritus and Chief...
(1947) – businessman - Thomy LafonThomy LafonThomy Lafon was a Creole business man, philanthropist and human rights activist in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was born poor, but was a free person of color. He started out selling cakes to workers, opened a small store, was a school teacher for a time and became successful at money lending...
(1810–1893) – businessman, philanthropist, and human rights activist - Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba (1795–1874) – businesswoman
- Mary Ellen PleasantMary Ellen PleasantMary Ellen Pleasant was a 19th Century female entrepreneur of partial African descent widely known as Mammy Pleasant, who used her fortune to further the abolitionist movement. She worked on the Underground Railroad across many states and then helped bring it to California during the Gold Rush Era...
(between 1814 and 1817–1904) – entrepreneur and human rights activist - Peter A. SarpyPeter A. SarpyPeter Abadie Sarpy was the owner and operator of several fur trading posts, essential to the European-American development of the Nebraska Territory, and a thriving ferry business. A prominent businessman, he helped lay out the towns of Bellevue and Decatur, Nebraska...
(1894–1865) – businessman - Jacques Telesphore RomanJacques Telesphore RomanJacques Telesphore Roman was a 19th century Louisiana businessman, sugar planter and builder of the famous Oak Alley Plantation.-Early years:...
(1800–1848) – businessman - Virginie de TernantVirginie de TernantMarie Virginie de Ternant, née Trahan , was the owner and manager of the Parlange Plantation, near New Roads, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana...
(1818–1887) – businesswoman
Journalism
- Bryant GumbelBryant GumbelBryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
(born 1948) – television journalist - Greg GumbelGreg GumbelGreg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
(1946) – television sportscaster - Charlie LeDuffCharlie LeDuffCharlie LeDuff is a Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist, writer, and media personality who left The Detroit News in October 2010 after two years and joined Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK Ch. 2 to do on-air journalism.-Life:...
(1966) – Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning journalist and writer - Suzanne MalveauxSuzanne MalveauxSuzanne M. Malveaux , is an American television news reporter.She is currently the anchor of CNN Newsroom 11am to 1pm. Before that she was White House correspondent for CNN and primary substitute host on CNNs "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer"...
(born 1966) – television news reporter - Arthel NevilleArthel NevilleArthel Neville , is an American journalist and television personality.Arthel is the daughter of Art Neville, founder of the New Orleans music groups The Meters and The Neville Brothers.-Biography:...
(1962) – journalist and television personality.
Law and Politics
- Caesar AntoineCaesar AntoineCaesar Carpetier Antoine was one of three African American Republicans who served as lieutenant governor of Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction. In addition, Antoine was a soldier, businessman, and editor.-Biography:...
(1836–1921) – Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, businessman, soldier, editor - Sidney BarthelemySidney BarthelemySidney John Barthelemy is a former American political figure. He served as Democratic mayor of New Orleans from 1986 to 1994...
(born 1942) – former Mayor of New Orleans - Armand Julie Beauvais (1783–1843) – 7th Governor of Louisiana.
- Ward ConnerlyWard ConnerlyWardell Anthony "Ward" Connerly is an American political activist, businessman, and former University of California Regent . He is also the founder and the chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national non-profit organization in opposition to racial and gender preferences...
(born 1939) – former University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
regent, moderate conservative political activist, and businessman - Pierre DerbignyPierre DerbignyPierre Augustin Charles Bourguignon Derbigny was the sixth Governor of Louisiana. Born in 1769, at Laon near Lille, France, the eldest son of Augustin Bourguignon d'Herbigny who was President of the Directoire de l'Aisne and Mayor of Laon, and Louise Angelique Blondela.Derbigny studied law at...
(1769–1829) – 6th Governor of Louisiana - Antoine DubucletAntoine DubucletAntoine Dubuclet was the Republican state treasurer of Louisiana from 1868 to 1878. Dubuclet was the first person of African descent to hold the office of Louisiana Treasurer.-Early life and career:...
(1810–1887) – State Treasurer of Louisiana - Jacques DupreJacques DupreJacques Dupré was a Louisiana State Representative, State Senator and the eighth Governor.Born in New Orleans the eldest son of Laurent Dupré de Terrebonne and Marie Josephine Fontenot, Dupré grew up in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana...
(1773–1846) – 8th Governor of Louisiana. - Keith EllisonKeith EllisonKeith Ellison may refer to:*Keith Ellison *Keith Ellison , member of the U.S. Congress from Minnesota*Keith P. Ellison, U.S. federal judge...
(1963) – U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. - Charles GayarréCharles GayarréCharles Etienne Arthur Gayarre was an American historian born in New Orleans, Louisiana. A historian and a writer of plays, essays, and novels, he is chiefly remembered for his histories of Louisiana....
(1805–1895) – lawyer, judge, politician, historian, essayist, dramatist and novelist - Paul Octave HebertPaul Octave HebertPaul Octave Hébert was the 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853–56 and a General in the Confederate Army.-Early life:...
(1818–1880) – 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853–56 and a General in the Confederate Army. - Valerie JarrettValerie JarrettValerie Bowman Jarrett is a senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration. She is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader...
(1956) – senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration, lawyer and businesswoman. - Pierre Caliste LandryPierre Caliste LandryPierre Caliste Landry was an American slave who later was an attorney, politician, and religious leader...
(1841–1921) – Mayor of Donaldsonville, LouisianaDonaldsonville, LouisianaDonaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in... - Richard W. LecheRichard W. LecheRichard Webster Leche was the 44th Governor of Louisiana from 1936 until 1939. Leche was the first governor of Louisiana sentenced to prison.- Early life :...
(1898–1965) – 44th Governor of Louisiana from 1936 until 1939.
- Bernard de MarignyBernard de MarignyBernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, was a French-Creole American nobleman, playboy, politician, and President of the Louisiana Senate between 1822-1823.-Early life:...
(1785–1868) – politician - John Willis MenardJohn Willis MenardJohn Willis Menard was the first African American elected to the United States Congress.Menard was born in Kaskaskia, Illinois, to parents of Louisiana Creole descent from New Orleans who were free people of color. He may have been related to Michel Branamour Menard, a French-Canadian fur trader...
(1838–1893) – U.S. congressman - Ernest Nathan MorialErnest Nathan MorialErnest Nathan Morial was a U.S. political figure and a leading civil rights advocate. He was the first black mayor of New Orleans, serving from 1978 to 1986. He was the father of former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial.-Early life and career:Morial was born in New Orleans of Creole ancestry and grew...
(1929–1989) – political figure and leading civil-rights advocate - Marc MorialMarc MorialMarc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...
(born 1958) – former Mayor of New Orleans; son of Ernest Nathan MorialErnest Nathan MorialErnest Nathan Morial was a U.S. political figure and a leading civil rights advocate. He was the first black mayor of New Orleans, serving from 1978 to 1986. He was the father of former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial.-Early life and career:Morial was born in New Orleans of Creole ancestry and grew... - Ray NaginRay NaginClarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is a former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nagin gained international note in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area....
(1956) – former Mayor of New Orleans - Homer PlessyHomer PlessyHomer Plessy was the American plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. Arrested, tried and convicted of a violation of one of Louisiana's racial segregation laws, he appealed through Louisiana state courts to the U.S. Supreme Court, and lost...
(1863–1925) – plaintiff in the United States Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case Plessy v. Ferguson - Denis PrieurDenis PrieurDenis Prieur was the 10th mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana serving from May 12, 1828 - April 9, 1838 and again from April 4, 1842 - February 7, 1843.-References:...
– the 10th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana - Condoleeza Rice (1954) – 66th United States Secretary of State
- Desiree RogersDesirée RogersDesirée Glapion Rogers is an American business executive who is the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company. In November 2008 she was selected by Barack Obama's office as the White House Social Secretary for the incoming administration, the first person of African American descent...
(1959) – former White House Social Secretary and businesswoman - Andre B. RomanAndre B. RomanAndre Bienvenue Roman was Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the ninth Governor of Louisiana.-Early years:...
(1795–1866) – 9th Governor of Louisiana - A.P. Tureaud (1899–1972) – attorney for the New Orleans chapter of the NAACP
- Jacques VillereJacques VilleréJacques Phillippe Villeré was the second Governor of Louisiana after it became a state. He was the first Creole and the first native of Louisiana to attain that office.-Early life:...
(1761–1830) – 2nd Governor of Louisaina
Military
- P. G. T. BeauregardP. G. T. BeauregardPierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
(1818–1893) – a general for the Confederate States ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
; also a writer, civil servant and inventor - Andre CaillouxAndre CaillouxAndre Cailloux was one of the first black officers in the Union Army to be killed in combat during the American Civil War. He died heroically during the unsuccessful first attack on the Confederate fortifications during the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana...
(1825–1863) – officer in the Confederate and Union armies - Claire Lee ChennaultClaire Lee ChennaultLieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault , was an American military aviator. A contentious officer, he was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fight-interceptor aircraft during the 1930s when the U.S. Army Air Corps was focused primarily on high-altitude bombardment...
(1893–1958) – military aviator. - Russel L. HonoréRussel L. HonoréRussel L. Honoré is a retired Lieutenant General who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas...
(born 1947) – commanding general of the U.S. First Army in Fort Gillem, Georgia, and commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
-affected areas across the Gulf Coast - John A. LejeuneJohn A. LejeuneLieutenant General John Archer Lejeune, was the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Known as the "greatest of all Leathernecks" and the "Marine's Marine", he served for nearly 40 years. His service included commanding the U.S...
(1867–1942) – 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Religion
- Henriette DelilleHenriette DeLilleVenerable Henriette DeLille founded the Catholic order of the Sisters of the Holy Family, made up of free women of color, in New Orleans. The order provided nursing care and a home for orphans, later establishing schools as well. In 1989 the order formally opened its cause with the Vatican in...
(1812–1862) – founder of the Sisters of the Holy FamilySisters of the Holy FamilyThe Sisters of the Holy Family is the name for a French and two different American orders of nuns.*The Sisters of the Holy Family-France were founded in Paris in 1806 by Jeanne-Claude Jacoulet, in a revival of the Canonesses of Ste...
, declared venerableVenerableThe Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
by the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in 2010 - Marie LaveauMarie LaveauMarie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renown in New Orleans. She was born free in New Orleans....
(1794–1881) – practitioner of voodoo - Harold Robert PerryHarold Robert PerryHarold Robert Perry, S.V.D. was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. An auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans for over twenty years, he was the first African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century.-Biography:Harold Perry was born in Lake Charles,...
(1916–1991) – auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Science and Technology
- John James AudubonJohn James AudubonJohn James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
(1785–1851) – ornithologist, naturalist and painter
- Norbert RillieuxNorbert RillieuxNorbert Rillieux , an American inventor and engineer, is most noted for his invention of the multiple-effect evaporator, an energy-efficient means of evaporating water. This invention was an important development in the growth of the sugar industry...
(1806–1894) – inventor and engineer
Sports
- Matt ForteMatt FortéMatthew Garrett Forté is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
(1985) – running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. - Oliver MarcelleOliver MarcelleOliver Hazzard Marcelle , nicknamed "Ghost", was an American third baseman in the Negro Leagues for a number of teams around the league from 1918-1931. He also played shortstop. A Creole born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, he batted and threw right-handed.While the Negro Leagues had many statistics...
(1895–1949) – professional baseball player - Paul Charles Morphy (1837–1884) – chess master, lawyer
- Paul SentellPaul SentellLeopold Theodore "Paul" Sentell was a professional baseball player, manager, and umpire. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. Sentell was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 176 pounds....
(1879–1923) – professional baseball player