VOORHIES, Robert D., M.D., St. Martin, then Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller


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Louisiana:  Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 446-447.  Edited by Alc‚e
Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.

Voorhies, Robert D., M. D., of Lafayette, La., was born March 10, 1872, at St.
Martinsvllle, in the parish of St. Martin; the son of Felix Voorhies, a native
of the parish of St. Martin, who was born Jan. 1, 1839, and is a resident of
the town of Lafayette.  Felix Voorhies was educated at Spring Hill college,
near Mobile, Ala., and at the Jesuits' college of St. Charles, Grand Coteau,
St. Landry parish, La.  He studied law in the office of his brother, Judge
Albert Voorhies, in New Orleans, and was admitted to practice after passing an
examination before the Louisiana State Supreme court.  When the Civil war
broke out in 1861, Mr. Voorhies abandoned his professional labors at St.
Martinsville, and enlisted in the Confederate army, serving in the 3rd
Louisiana infantry regiment until the close of hostilities.  Resuming the
practice of law in St. Martinsville, Mr. Voorhies attained prominence, and in
1892 was elected judge of the district court re-elected in 1896, declined
another term in 1900, and went back to the bar until 1912 when he resigned,
and retired to private life.  Mr. Voorhies is the author of a very interesting
work, "Acadian Reminiscences," and has written a large number of short
stories.  His wife, Miss Modeste Pothier, was born in St. Martin parish, a
descendant of an Acadian family that settled in Louisiana in the latter part
of the 18th century.  The Voorhies family came from Holland to America in
1620, and subsequently to Kentucky, whence they removed to Louisiana.  Some of
their descendants were distinguished in professional life in the state;
Cornelius Voorhies, paternal grandfather of Dr. Robert D. Voorhies, was one of
the justices of the Louisiana State Supreme court; and Hon.  Albert Voorhies,
his son, was lieutenant-governor of the state, and a prominent member of the
New Orleans bar.  Dr. Robert D. Voorhies is the 5th in a family of 12
children, in order of birth as follows:  Edward G., a lawyer, who was clerk of
the district court at Lafayette for 12 years, and died in 1911, aged 51 years; 
Felix E., traveling salesman in Texas, and contractor for the Briggs-Weaver
Machinery Co., of Dallas, Tex.;  Dan W., lawyer, of St. Martinville;  Charles
L., salesman for A. Baldwin & Co., of New Orleans;  Robert D., and  Albert P.
(twins),  Albert P. having died in 1907, in New Iberia, where he followed the
profession of dentist;  Cecile, now Mrs. Louis Babin, of West Baton Rouge; 
Paul E., superintendent of Simon's foundry, at New Iberia, La.;  Lucie, wife
of August Gasie, of West Baton Rouge;  Walter F., cashier of the First
National bank, Shreveport, La.;  J. S., an accountant, residing in New
Orleans, and  Maude, wife of Frank Dauterive, residents of Abbeville, La.  The
subject of this sketch was educated in the schools of St. Martinville, and at
St. Martin college.  He entered the National Institute of Pharmacy, Chicago,
in 1890, graduating in 1892, and then taking up the study of medicine at
Hahnemann Medical college, Chicago, finishing his course in 1895 and returning
to Louisiana to begin the practice of his profession in New Iberia for 3
years; next, in New Orleans until 1905, and since that year, in Lafayette.  He
has been associated for the past 2 years with Dr. F. E. Girard, specializing
in the treatment of diseases of the eye, ears, nose, and throat.  Dr. Voorhies
is a member of the Roman Catholic church; and in fraternal circles is
affiliated with the Elks, the Woodmen of the World, Ben Hur order, the Mooses,
and the Knights of Columbus.  He is a member of the Lafayette parish Medical
association, the Attakapas Clinical society, the Louisiana State Medical
society, the American Medical association; ex-president of the Parish Medical
association; ex-vice president of the Attakapas Clinical society, and is
physician for the Southwestern Industrial institute of Lafayette; also a
promoter and stockholder of the Attakapas sanitarium.  In Oct., 1899, Dr.
Voorhies married Miss Margaret Ann Davis, daughter of John Davis, formerly a
merchant of New Iberia.  They have 3 children,  Robert D.,  Mary Margaret, and 
Coerte Albert Voorhies.