Biography of 	TOBIN, John F., 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. 433-434.  Edited
by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.

Tobin, John Francis, a well-known lawyer of New Orleans, was born in that
city on June 17, 1871; a son of the late Capt. John W. Tobin and Mary
Frances Scott; of English Scotch-Irish ancestry, highly connected and
closely identified with the colonial and revolutionary history of this
country.  Mr. Tobin is essentially an American.  His father's family
originally came from England and -Ireland and settled in South Carolina and
Georgia, when these were colonies of England, and their families were
prominent in the wars and in the affairs of those colonies.  His mother's
family came from England and Scotland and settled in Virginia in the early
days of that colony.  The names of Col. Daniel Smith, his son, Judge Daniel
Smith, and also Col. John Baytop Scott, all of Virginia and of colonial and
revolutionary fame, were maternal ancestors of John F. Tobin.  The previous
history of the Scott family reads like a romance, and is closely interwoven
with Scottish history.  The Smith family in Virginia was founded in 1740;
many of its sons won laurels and its daughters were fair.  In the Scott
family, Col. John B. Scott, the great-grandfather of John F. Tobin, won
fame for bravery, was brevetted on the field of battle and presented with a
sword by the dashing Count Pulaski, in 1781.  Col. John B. Scott was the
close friend of Gen. Washington, under whom he continuously served; later,
when the Society of the Cincinnati was formed by Gen. Washington, Col. John
B. Scott was a charter member of that society.  Col. Scott was likewise the
close personal friend of Presidents Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, his
wife, who was said to be very beautiful, being upon intimate terms of
friendship with the wives of those presidents.  Mr. Tobin is in possession
of a book entitled ''Monroe's Views," presented by James Monroe to his
friend, John B. Scott.  Col. Scott was commissioned in the regular army by
Pres. Jefferson and was civil and military governor of the district of Cape
Girardeau, Mo., then part of Louisiana, in 1805, and he was afterwards
commissioned United States judge of the Louisiana territory, but resigned.
His son, Christopher C. Scott, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Tobin, was
likewise prominent in the history of this country.  Both he and his
distinguished father were judges and lawyers of high rank.  Judge C. C.
Scott was for many years one of the judges of the supreme court of
Arkansas, just prior to the Civil war.  In the Smith family there were many
lawyers, Judge Daniel Smith, the great maternal grandfather, having been
for 30 years judge of the Special Court of Appeals of Virginia, in
Rockingham county.  Mr. Tobin received his early education in private
schools, from which he entered Tulane university of Louisiana, graduating
in 1891, with the degree of A. B.  Later he took up the study of law,
attended the Tulane law school and graduated in 1894, with the degree of
LL. B.  Since leaving the university he has been engaged in the practice of
his profession at New Orleans, where he is well-known professionally and
socially.  A member of various legal, social, carnival and other
associations and clubs, he has always been an untiring worker for the
uplift and betterment of his fellow man.  He is a member of the American
and Louisiana Bar associations.  For many years he was prominent and active
in the New Orleans carnival and club life.  He has been a member of the
Boston club of New Orleans for over 20 years, was one of the charter
members and an officer of the present Louisiana club, was once president of
the Young Men's Gymnastic club, was the original prime mover and principal
organizer of the Audubon Golf club and the Country club of New Orleans.
Fraternally, he is a Shriner, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a Knight
Templar, a Royal and Select Master Mason, and a Royal Arch Mason.
Politically, he has always been a democrat, but has never held or sought
office, except that of notary public.  In church faith he is an ardent
Protestant, a member of the Episcopal church.  In 1904, he married Miss
Eliska Paule Provosty, the beautiful daughter of Associate Justice
Provosty, of the supreme court of Louisiana, and Miss Euphemie (Labatut)
Provosty, which union has been blessed with 5 children:  John William,
Eliska Provosty,  Mary Frances,  Mary Louise Eugenie and John Francis Paul
Tobin.