Biography of 	CAMBON, Sylvester, Sr., Paris, FR., then Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by 	Mike Miller April 1998

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Louisiana:  Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 498-499.  Edited
by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.

Cambon, Sylvester, Sr., during many years an extensive importing and
wholesale merchant and banker at New Orleans, and later large land owner
and sugar planter, was born at Paris, France, where, in youth, he was
afforded every educational advantage.  At the age of 21 years he came to
America and located at New Orleans, where he soon became associated with
Frederick Avet in importing and wholesale merchandise business, under the
firm name of Cambon & Avet.  This business venture proved unusually
successful and prosperous from its inception.  Mr. Cambon finally became
sole proprietor of the business and conducted it under firm name of S.
Cambon.  In addition to this wholesale importing business, Mr. Cambon
became largely interested in banking, and later an extensive plantation
owner and sugar planter, and in each and all of his enterprises uniformly
successful.  He was a large man, weighing about 250 pounds, and of splendid
personality, enjoying great personal popularity as well as financial
prosperity, and on one occasion declined an urgent appeal to become a
candidate for the office of mayor of the city of New Orleans.  He took an
active interest in public and political affairs, but to the last
persistently refused to become a candidate for any office or other
political honor, though he was related to Ambassadors Paul and Jules
Cambon, two of the most distinguished diplomats of France, who,
respectively and in turn, served as ambassador at Washington to the United
States, Great Britain and Tunis.  Mr. Cambon had the reputation of being
very charitable and liberal, and when the asylum wagons came around to his
place of business, it is said that these vehicles were always filled from
the store and no charge was made for the supplies thus furnished.  At one
time Mr. Cambon gave $100,000, with a group of nine other citizens of New
Orleans, who each gave a similar amount, to the French government for the
care of French soldiers wounded in the Franco-German war.  His liberal
contributions toward alleviating distress at times of yellow fever
epidemics in New Orleans and recurring floods of the Mississippi river were
recognized with marks of the highest appreciation by the people among whom
he lived.  The government of France, too, in recognition of his liberal
donations to that country, and his otherwise friendly offices toward the
French republic, awarded him a diploma for international and voluntary aid
to the French government.  This interesting document, or diploma, which is
now held by the sons of Mr. Cambon, is signed officially by the highest
authorities of the French government, as follows:  Cte. de Flarigny,
president; Cte. de Beaufort, vice-president; Le Deluge', secretary-general,
and Cte de Terienoy, minister of war and marine.  Mr. Cambon also received
from the French government a bronze medal made from cannon captured by the
French soldiers from German forces.  These mementos are held in high esteem
by the family, and very properly so.  After a residence of about 30 years
in New Orleans, during all of which time he was actively engaged in
business, and business of far-reaching and complicated ramifications, he
withdrew from these associations and removed to Union plantation, in St.
John the Baptist parish, from which point he gave personal supervision to
his large interests in sugar planting.  It was at this latter place that
his death occurred, April 1, 1878, aged 41 years.  It is said that the
immediate cause of his death was exposure to which he subjected himself in
paying off his help at a time when he was too ill to have left his room.
This final incident was distinctly typical of his conduct throughout life;
he was always solicitous of the well-being of those engaged in his service.
Mr. Cambon was twice married.  His first wife was Miss Mary O'Sullivan, of
Dublin, Ireland.  She died in March, 1871, at the age of 28 years, and some
years later Mr. Cambon was married to Miss Mary Ring, of Belfast, Ireland.
Seven children, as follows were born to these 2 unions:  Lucie,  Henry,
Edouard,  Sylvester,  Maurice,  Marie and  Ferdinand, the last-named being
born unto the second marriage.  The 2 daughters are now deceased.  After
the death of the father the family removed to Terrebonne parish, the better
to administer the interests of several valuable sugar properties in that
locality.  After some years in this latter location, the family again
became resident at New Orleans, now about 5 years ago, and have so
continued to this time.  Mr. Cambon's sons,  Henry, Sylvester,  Maurice and
 Ferdinand, are each elsewhere sketched in this work.