Biography of 	DENIS, Henry, 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. 510-511.  Edited
by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.

Denis, Henry, distinguished lawyer and citizen, was born in New Orleans,
Jan. 12, 1828.  His father was Henry Raphael Denis and his mother bore the
maiden name of Aimée Derbigny.  She was a daughter of Pierre Derbigny, the
fifth governor of the state of Louisiana, who was born at Laon, France in
1767, and his family belonged to the French nobility.  Henry Raphael Denis
was born at St. Germainen, Laye, in France, and came to New Orleans when a
young man.  He made Louisiana the country of adoption, and settled in New
Orleans, where he became a lawyer of distinction in the early part of the
19th century.  He left three sons:  Arthur Denis, once a planter of large
possessions and advanced views in relation to agriculture;  Henry Denis,
the subject of this personal sketch, and  Jules C. Denis, prominent in his
days in banking and commercial affairs.  Henry Denis followed the
profession of his father and maternal grandfather, that of the law, which
he practiced more than 50 years.  His early education was obtained in
private schools of Paris, France, and of New Orleans, and the study of law
he began in his father's office.  In the year 1850 Mr. Denis graduated from
the law school of the University of Louisiana, which was subsequently
incorporated in the Tulane university of Louisiana, and in which many years
later he became professor of Civil law.  In 1851 Mr. Denis, having just
recently been admitted to the bar, was offered, by agreement of the parties
in an important law suit, an appointment by the court as special
commissioner to proceed to the Isthmus of Panama for the purpose of taking
the depositions of witnesses at Chagres and Panama.  The trip was not free
from dangers of different forms; the railroad on the Isthmus was not then
built, the disease at Chagres and robbers in the mountains were additional
difficulties to travel.  But, with carelessness and courage of youth, he
accepted the mission, went through safely and successfully in the
performance of the task.  Returning to New Orleans, he actively launched
out in the practice of law and rose to the front rank of the profession.
He prosecuted some cases of great importance and magnitude before the
Supreme Court of Louisiana and the Supreme Court of the United States.  He
demanded, under the Founding Act of 1874, the conversion of the bonds of
the state of Louisiana in behalf of the foreign bondholders.  The State
Board of Liquidation, under the chairmanship of Gov. Nicholls, made the
most strenuous opposition to the demand, but the Supreme court ultimately
decided the case in favor of the bondholders.  In 1880 the Supreme court of
Louisiana offered him the position of reporter of its decisions.  He
accepted the place and filled it assiduously during 15 years and then
resigned it.  In 1881 the chair of Civil law in Tulane university of
Louisiana became vacant and was offered to Mr. Denis.  This branch of the
law had received most of his attention during the years previous, and he
accepted the chair, and after diligently filling it for 24 years resigned
the position.  Mr. Denis is the author of a book on the comparative law of
pledges of the Civil and Common law, which was favorable commented upon by
the law reviews both in this country and in England.  When the Civil war
broke out Mr. Denis enlisted at the call of Gen. Beauregard, as a private
in a cavalry known as Guy Dreux cavalry, which was ready and equipped and
was sent to the army of Tennessee then under the command of Gen.
Beauregard.  On the eve of the battle of Shiloh, that company was assigned
to duty as body guard of Gen. Beauregard on the battlefield.  At the end of
the campaign Henry Denis was detailed to Western Louisiana where he became
one of the aides-de-camp of Gov. Henry W. Allen.  He retained that position
until the end of the war.  Gov. Allen deciding then to go to Mexico, Mr.
Denis accompanied him there, assisted him in the City of Mexico to found a
newspaper called the Mexican Times, taking part in the editing of it until
he left Mexico and returned to New Orleans at the end of Nov. 1866.  Mr.
Denis has been married 3 times.  His first wife was Georgine Cenas, a
daughter of Dr. A. H. Cenas, a prominent physician in New Orleans.  Two
sons were born of this marriage,  Mr. Augustus and  George Jules Denis.
Mr. Denis married for a second wife Elise Rushton, the daughter of Dr.
William  Rushton, also a prominent physician of New Orleans.  There was no
issue of this marriage.  His third wife bore the maiden name of Bella Bell,
the daughter of Samuel Bell, a merchant and banker of New Orleans.  Five
daughters and 1 son are the issue of this marriage:  Cecile, wife of Frank
H. Mortimer;  Alice,  Bella and  Louise (unmarried) ; and  Anna, wife of
Edward T. Shepard; and  Edmond Derbigny Denis.