Biography of 	Bush, Col. Louis Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by 	Mike Miller November 1997

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Col. Louis Bush, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
    Col. Louis Bush is one of the prominent men of New Orleans, La., and
among the city's leading citizens.  He was born in Iberville parish,
La., in 1820, and the son of Reuben and Ludivine (Brasset) Bush, both
natives of Louisiana.  The father was a notary and in the judiciary
department of the parish of La Fourche.  Louis is the only one of the
family now living.  He acquired his own education, was a great reader
and thinker, and at the early age of fifteen years, entered into 
business as a deputy sheriff in La Fourche.  This position he held until
he was twenty years of age, when he was appointed clerk of the court.
He read law at Thibodeaux, was admitted to the bar and practiced there.
Later, in 1845, he was elected to the legislature from La Fourche
parish, La., and served as senatorial delegate from La Fourche and St.
Charles parishes to the Louisiana secession convention.  Although
opposed to secession, when the majority of the delegates voted for the
secession ordinance, being loyal to his state, he became one of the
signers of the ordinance.  At the opening of the war he raised a
company
at La Fourche and was captain of Company G, Eighteenth Louisiana
regiment, stationed at Corinth.  Later he became major, was
promoted to
lieutenant-colonel and finally became colonel.  He operated
around
Corinth, was in the battle of Shiloh and followed the movements
of the
Army of Tennessee.   He was detached from his regiment in 1864,
raised a
cavalry regiment in southern Louisiana and later appointed one of
the
members of the military court by the trans-Mississippi
department, being
president of it.  He surrendered at Shreveport, June 5, 1865. 
After the
war he returned to La Fourche parish, there practiced law until
1872,
when he came to New Orleans and entered the commission business. 
In
1876-77 he was in the contest in which Nicholls was elected
governor,
was elected to the legislature from the Tenth ward of New
Orleans, and
became speaker of the house.  He has all this time still
conducted his
commission business, which has been very successful.  Col. Bush
has
always taken a very active interest in political matters, has
always
been a whig in principle, especially on the question of
protection; but
in 1854 he joined the democratic party and has ever since been a
member
of that party.

From Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, volume 2,
p. 329.
Submitted by Mike Miller