Edwin Gardner Hunter, Rapides Parish Louisiana
Submitted by: Suzanne Shoemaker

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Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana
The Southern Publishing Company, Chicago & Nashville,  1890
    
EDWIN GARDNER HUNTER, attorney at law of Alexandria, La., was born in this
parish September 16, 1852, being a son of Robert Alexander and Sarah Jane
(Ford) Hunter, the former of whom was born in Mississippi and the latter in
Kentucky.  Robert A. Hunter was, in his earlier life, a planter by
occupation, and was a man of much intelligence and was thoroughly posted on
all the general issues of  his day.  He served all through the Mexican War,
coming out as colonel of his regiment, and upon the breaking out of the
Civil War he entered the service of  the Confederate Government and did
active and honorable service in the ranks, having declined a commission.
He was wounded and captured at Baton Rouge, and was kept a prisoner in New
Orleans for eleven months.  After the war he completed the study of law, to
which he had previously paid some attention, was admitted to the bar and
practiced successfully for several years.  He was born at Natchez December
20, 1812, and died in Alexandria July 5, 1882, being buried in Pineville
Cemetery, his death being lamented by, not only his immediate and sorrowing
family, but by all who knew him.  He was always active in political
matters, and served as a delegate to all the conventions of his time, being
a delegate from his district to the famous Baltimore Convention.  He
represented his district in the Senate also, subsequently became State
treasurer, and filled other responsible official positions with marked
ability.  His leading characteristics were extreme frankness, honesty of
purpose, indomitable will and energy, and being full of generosity and
charity he rarely suspected others of sordid or improper motives.  He was
outspoken and bold in his denunciations of what he considered to be wrong.
There was no compromise in his nature.  He formed his opinions
deliberately, and when they were formed nothing could change him.  His wife
was born December 9, 1815, died in October, 1852, their marriage having
taken place March 10, 1831.  The paternal grandfather, Pleasant H. Hunter,
was born in Virginia, and after a sojourn of a few years in Mississippi, he
came to Louisiana, this being about the year 1815, and here he followed
merchandising and planting.  The mother was a daughter of Jesse and Dula
(Price) Ford, the former a Kentuckian and a farmer by occupation, who
settled in Louisiana about 1816.  The immediate subject of this sketch is
the youngest of three sons and one daughter, the brothers being Benjamin K.
and Robert P., and in the parish of Rapides he obtained a good practical
education, which he afterward supplemented by a collegiate training, after
which he studied law in the State Law School, from which he was admitted to
the bar in August, 1873.  He served ten years as district attorney, and has
also practiced his profession since 1884.  He was married here to Miss Lucy
Texada, daughter of Louis and Pleasant (Hunter) Texada, pioneers of
Louisiana, and to them the following family has been born:  Edwin Ford,
Allen Texada, Sarah Eliza, Pleasant (who died in youth), Thomas Frith,
Louis Hall and Minnie Mag.  Mr. Hunter is a member of the Methodist Church
and belongs to the A. O. U. W.  His wife is a member of the Episcopal Church.