Hon. Francis Ernest Delahoussaye, Iberia Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Mike Miller ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Hon. Francis Ernest Delahoussaye has been a member of the Louisiana Bar for twenty years, has distinguished himself in his profession and public affairs, being a former member of the Legislature. His home is at New Iberia, and he is a member of a family that has played a distinguished part in the life and affairs of Louisiana for many generations. A premier of France under King Louis XIV, was Degasaue Delahoussaye. A connection of this illustrious man and perhaps a son was Louis Delahoussaye, who with his brother Alexander, was sent to Louisiana by King Louis XIV, in 1760, in a mission to restore peace in the colony and for their services, they were granted large concessions of land. A direct descendant of this Louis Delahoussaye is the New Iberia attorney. The latter's great grandfather was Octave Delahoussaye, a native of St. Martin's Parish, who became an extensive planter, owning the Delahoussaye Canal and most of the land adjacent to the canal, near Jeanerette in Iberia Parish. His son Oneziphore Delahoussaye was born in St. Martin Parish in 1810, and spent his life in that community, managing his large plantation and for several terms held the office of Parish tax collector. His home was at St. Martinville when he died in 1882. By his first marriage he had three sons: Edwin, mentioned in the following paragraph; Oneziphore and Ernest, both of whom were employees of the Custom House at New Orleans when they were killed by a negro on election day of 1880. Edwin Delahoussaye was born in 1855, and has spent all his life in St. Martin Parish. He followed farming for a number of years and since 1894 has been a resident of St. Martinville and now employs his the as a rural mail carrier. He is a democrat and a Catholic. Edwin Delahoussaye married Adonia Hebert, who was born in St. Martini Parish in l854. They reared a family of children who have made for themselves places of usefulness in the world: Edwin, Jr., born in 1880, postmaster of Arnaudville in St. Martin Parish; Francis Ernest; Lucy, a music teacher at St. Martinville; Alex C., born in 1888, superintendent of pipe line construction for a large oil Corporation with home in Texas; Willie, who during the World war was with the colors twenty-four months in the navy, and was in France twenty-one months, and is Ford automobile agent at St. Martinville; Dumas, born in 1890, a rural mail carrier at St. Martinville; and Edmund, a talented young violinist, who is employed as collector by a furniture house at New Orleans. Francis Ernest Delahoussaye was born in St. Martin Parish, March 13, 1882, was educated in public, schools there, and studied law in the office of Hon. Robert Martin of St. Martinville. Admitted to the bar in May 1904, he practiced for twelve years in St. Martinville but since February, 1916, has been a member of the New Iberia Bar, where his work has been notable in both the civil and criminal branches of practice. More recently he has specialized in swamp land and oil lease cases. His offices are in the Masonic Building on Main Street. His public service consisted of three terms, six years as a member of the city council of St. Martinville and in 1908 he was elected to the House of Representatives from St. Martin Parish, serving four years. He was a candidate for district attorney of the Nineteenth Judicial District in 1912, this district comprising Iberia and St. Martin Parishes. His successful opponent was A. N. Miller, who however was elected by the margin of one hundred and thirty-five votes in the entire district. Mr. Delahoussaye is a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church at New Iberia, St. Martin Lodge No. 1276, Knights of Columbus at St. Martinville, New Iberia Lodge No. 554, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, New Iberia Chamber of Commerce, the Country Club, and he belongs to the Louisiana State and American Bar Associations. At New Iberia Mr. Delahoussaye has acquired as his home, the noted old "Captain Cade" residence on East Main Street, a property he remodeled in 1924, making it a beautiful type of the old Colonial style architecture. The house is surrounded with beautiful grounds, containing a number of fine oak trees. He owns other real estate in New Iberia and some valuable tracts of timber land in the Atchafalaya Swamps and wood and oil lands in Iberia and St. Martin Parishes around the locality known as the Salt Domes. During the World war, Mr. Delahoussaye was a member of the legal advisory board of his parish. He married at New Iberia August 24, 1904, Miss Agnes Greig, daughter of John and Irma (Mestayer) Greig, residents of New Iberia where her father is a merchant. Mrs. Delahoussaye completed her high school education in New Iberia. They have two children, Clyde, born October 7, 1907, and Alvin, born October 3, 1914. A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 305, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.