Biography of 	Da PONTE, Harry, 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. 507-508.  Edited
by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.

Da Ponte, Harry, large lumber exporter, formerly interested in the
Louisiana state lottery, one of the earliest members of the New Orleans
cotton exchange, charter member of the Chess, Checkers & Whist club and the
Orleans Rod & Gun club, was born in New Orleans, La., June 29, 1853; son of
Durant and Sophia (Brook) Da Ponte.  The father was the first editor,
respectively, of the New Orleans Picayune and the Delta.  He was born in
New York City; came to New Orleans in 1840, and became a newspaper
reporter.  He reported the proceedings of the legislature of 1844-45 for
one of the New Orleans newspapers.  In 1882 he began operating in stocks
and was successful.  He retired several years prior to his death, which
occurred in California in the year 1905.  Sophia Brook's father was one of
the first cotton factors in New Orleans, and was engaged in this business
during a number of years.  The daughter was born in the East Indies in
1830, and came from that region to New Orleans with her father in 1832.  To
Durant and Sophia (Brook) Da Ponte 2 children were born, these being
Lorenzo, deceased in 1905, a resident of New Orleans prior to death, and
Harry Da Ponte, the subject of this sketch.  Durant Da Ponte served in the
Confederate army from beginning to end of the Civil war, as a staff officer
under Gen. Van Dorn, and was one of the last men to leave Richmond.  Harry
Da Ponte received a high school education in the city of his birth, and
when this had been completed, entered the service of the Slocum-Baldwin
Hardware Co., where he remained 3 years, following which he was employed in
the freight department of the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern R. R.
for about 6 months.  He then went to Texas, in the year 1871, and was there
engaged in the general produce business for a time, later becoming
associated with the firm of B. L. Mann & Co.  At the age of 20 years he
became manager of the Dallas house, and conducted this until its failure
some time later.  At that time, in the year 1875, the famous Porferio Diaz
was at the head of revolutionary forces in Mexico, and young Da Ponte
established connection with these forces and was for some time engaged in
smuggling arms and ammunition into Mexico and assisting in their delivery
to the revolutionary forces.  In connection with this hazardous service, he
owned and operated a boat, called the Laura Lewis, on the Popontta river.
In the course of this work he participated in many thrilling adventures and
experienced several very narrow escapes, but had the good fortune to
complete his undertakings and escape without injury, having, in addition to
his more substantial reward, some satisfaction in the fact of having
contributed somewhat to the success of Gen. Diaz in establishing stable
government in Mexico.  In 1885 he became a member of the New Orleans cotton
exchange, at a time when that organization was very young.  At this time,
also, he was interested in the Louisiana State Lottery Co., and was in the
real estate business.  He laid out Rosa Park, one of the early residential
suburbs of the city of New Orleans.  After the lottery business had been
terminated through state legislation, he became engaged in the timber
export business, and has continued in that business to the present.  Mr. Da
Ponte was a charter member of the Chess, Checkers & Whist club, and also of
the Orleans Rod & Gun club, and a member of the board of directors in the
latter organization.  In 1878 Mr. Da Ponte was married to Miss Gertrude
Hay, of Houston, Tex.  Mrs. Da Ponte died in 1907, leaving 4 children,
viz.:  Lorenzo, now an attorney at Tacoma, Wash.;  Harry, Jr., with Adler
Export Co., a resident of New Orleans;  Ethel, wife of J. A. Steck, of
Walhalla, S. C., and  Agnes, wife of Frederick Beirne, of Paris, France.
In 1910 Mr. Da Ponte was married to Miss Marcedes Alvarez, a daughter of
Morlez y Alvarez.