Andre B. Roman
Encyclopedia
Andre Bienvenue Roman was Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives
and the ninth Governor of Louisiana.
In 1818, Roman was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
at the age of 23, and he was elected Speaker of the House in 1822 serving until 1826. He was elected Parish Judge in St. James Parish in 1826. He was again elected to the Louisiana House and was Speaker during the constitutional crisis following the death of Governor Pierre Derbigny
in 1828.
In 1830, Roman was elected governor as a Whig
candidate. At various points in the race his opponents include the flamboyant Bernard de Marigny
, Martin Duralde, son-in-law of Henry Clay
and relation of Governor William C.C. Claiborne
, and former Governors Jacques Villeré
(who died in March before the election) and Armand Beauvais
, who resigned as Governor to run.
Results of this election:
Andre Roman 3,638;
Hamilton 2,701;
Armand Beauvais
1,478;
David Randall 463
Governor Roman is credited with establishing the state penitentiary system, and the College of Jefferson opened in St. James Parish and the College of Franklin opened in St. Landry Parish. The Louisiana Agricultural Society was organized with Governor Roman as its first president.
The South Carolina nullification controversy
moved Roman and most of Louisiana to back President Andrew Jackson
’s stand on national authority over state nullification. The old Charity Hospital building on Canal Street was used as the State House, while 611 Royal Street was the official residence of the governor after the state government returned from Donaldsonville, Louisiana
.
When his term was ended, Governor Roman sought re-election, but he was defeated by Edward Douglass White Sr.
another Whig. In 1836, Roman opted to run for the United States Senate
but he was defeated by Alexandre Mouton.
In 1838, Roman again sought election as Governor. His opponent this time was Denis Prieur
, the Jacksonian
Mayor of New Orleans who lived openly with his quadroon mistress. Roman beat Prieur 7,590 votes to 6,782.
for better shipping.
Governor Roman served as the President of the New Orleans Drainage Company which drained the swamps behind the city. The Clinton
to Port Hudson Railroad which aided the cotton industry was established, as well as an experimental farm in St. James Parish.
During Governor Roman's second term, the state abolished imprisonment for debt.
With economic crises and panics looming, Roman struggled to maintain calm. He vetoed several new bank charters during the most volatile economic period in Antebellum Louisiana (1841–1842). The Bank Act of 1842 replaced the earlier easy credit system with a sounder, more restrictive policy.
After his second term in office, Governor Roman returned to his St. James Parish home but remained politically active. In 1845, he was elected Delegate to the state constitutional convention and in 1848, Roman went to Europe as an agent for Citizens Bank and Consolidated Association of Planters for an extensions of bonds. He was again elected Delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1852.
In 1861, with the Civil War
looming, Roman as a delegate to the Louisiana Secession convention opposed secession. The Convention chose secession and Governor Roman was chosen along with John Forsyth and Martin J. Crawford to negotiate a peaceable separation from the United States, but Secretary of State
William H. Seward
refused to meet with them.
During the war Roman lost all his wealth and property. On January 26, 1866 Roman died while walking down Dumaine Street. He had just accepted an appointment to the office of City Recorder of Deeds and Mortgages from Governor James Madison Wells
.
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
and the ninth Governor of Louisiana.
Early years
Born near Opelousas, the son of Jacques Etienne Roman of Grenoble, France and Marie Louise Patin, Roman's family later moved to St. James Parish, Louisiana and established a sugar plantation. In 1815, Roman graduated from St. Mary College in Baltimore, Maryland. The following year he married Aimee Françoise Parent. They had 8 children.In 1818, Roman was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
at the age of 23, and he was elected Speaker of the House in 1822 serving until 1826. He was elected Parish Judge in St. James Parish in 1826. He was again elected to the Louisiana House and was Speaker during the constitutional crisis following the death of Governor Pierre Derbigny
Pierre Derbigny
Pierre Augustin Charles Bourguignon Derbigny was the sixth Governor of Louisiana. Born in 1769, at Laon near Lille, France, the eldest son of Augustin Bourguignon d'Herbigny who was President of the Directoire de l'Aisne and Mayor of Laon, and Louise Angelique Blondela.Derbigny studied law at...
in 1828.
In 1830, Roman was elected governor as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
candidate. At various points in the race his opponents include the flamboyant Bernard de Marigny
Bernard de Marigny
Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, was a French-Creole American nobleman, playboy, politician, and President of the Louisiana Senate between 1822-1823.-Early life:...
, Martin Duralde, son-in-law of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and relation of Governor William C.C. Claiborne
William C.C. Claiborne
William Charles Cole Claiborne was a United States politician, best known as the first Governor of Louisiana. He also has the distinction of possibly being the youngest Congressman in U.S...
, and former Governors Jacques Villeré
Jacques Villeré
Jacques Phillippe Villeré was the second Governor of Louisiana after it became a state. He was the first Creole and the first native of Louisiana to attain that office.-Early life:...
(who died in March before the election) and Armand Beauvais
Armand Beauvais
Armand Julie Beauvais was a Justice of the Peace, a Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, President of the Louisiana Senate and the seventh Governor of Louisiana.He was born September 6, 1783 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana...
, who resigned as Governor to run.
Results of this election:
Andre Roman 3,638;
Hamilton 2,701;
Armand Beauvais
Armand Beauvais
Armand Julie Beauvais was a Justice of the Peace, a Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, President of the Louisiana Senate and the seventh Governor of Louisiana.He was born September 6, 1783 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana...
1,478;
David Randall 463
First term as Governor
On January 31, 1831, Governor Roman took his oath of office during a time of storms, floods, depression and epidemics. During these years of vigorous economic growth, yellow fever killed over 5,000 Louisianans, the number of banks in the state rose from 5 to 11, the Canal Bank built the New Basin Canal and the Pontchartrain Railroad began locomotive service in 1832.Governor Roman is credited with establishing the state penitentiary system, and the College of Jefferson opened in St. James Parish and the College of Franklin opened in St. Landry Parish. The Louisiana Agricultural Society was organized with Governor Roman as its first president.
The South Carolina nullification controversy
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within...
moved Roman and most of Louisiana to back President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
’s stand on national authority over state nullification. The old Charity Hospital building on Canal Street was used as the State House, while 611 Royal Street was the official residence of the governor after the state government returned from Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...
.
When his term was ended, Governor Roman sought re-election, but he was defeated by Edward Douglass White Sr.
Edward Douglass White Sr.
Edward Douglass White, Sr. was the tenth Governor of Louisiana and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served five nonconsecutive terms in Congress as an adherent of Henry Clay of Kentucky and the Whig Party.White was born in Maury County, Tennessee, the illegitimate son of...
another Whig. In 1836, Roman opted to run for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
but he was defeated by Alexandre Mouton.
In 1838, Roman again sought election as Governor. His opponent this time was Denis Prieur
Denis Prieur
Denis Prieur was the 10th mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana serving from May 12, 1828 - April 9, 1838 and again from April 4, 1842 - February 7, 1843.-References:...
, the Jacksonian
Jacksonian democracy
Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater democracy for the common man typified by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political era. The Democratic-Republican Party of...
Mayor of New Orleans who lived openly with his quadroon mistress. Roman beat Prieur 7,590 votes to 6,782.
Second term
On February 4, 1839, Roman resumed the governor’s office stressing education and civic improvements. During this administration the first practical impetus on a public education system was established: 600 volumes of Gayarre’s Historical Essay on Louisiana were purchased and distributed among the Parish schools. Appropriations allowed copying of parish archives on Louisiana colonial history. Roman created the Office of State Engineer and advocated opening the passes at the mouth of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
for better shipping.
Governor Roman served as the President of the New Orleans Drainage Company which drained the swamps behind the city. The Clinton
Clinton, Louisiana
Clinton is a town in and the parish seat of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 1,998 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
to Port Hudson Railroad which aided the cotton industry was established, as well as an experimental farm in St. James Parish.
During Governor Roman's second term, the state abolished imprisonment for debt.
With economic crises and panics looming, Roman struggled to maintain calm. He vetoed several new bank charters during the most volatile economic period in Antebellum Louisiana (1841–1842). The Bank Act of 1842 replaced the earlier easy credit system with a sounder, more restrictive policy.
Private citizen
In 1861, with the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
looming, Roman as a delegate to the Louisiana Secession convention opposed secession. The Convention chose secession and Governor Roman was chosen along with John Forsyth and Martin J. Crawford to negotiate a peaceable separation from the United States, but Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
refused to meet with them.
During the war Roman lost all his wealth and property. On January 26, 1866 Roman died while walking down Dumaine Street. He had just accepted an appointment to the office of City Recorder of Deeds and Mortgages from Governor James Madison Wells
James Madison Wells
James Madison Wells was elected the 20th Governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction.-Early life:Born near Alexandria, Louisiana, on January 8, 1808, Wells' father was Samuel Levi Wells, II, a member of the constitutional convention in 1811. His mother was the former Dorcas Huie. A brother, Thomas...
.
Sources
External links
- National Governors Association
- Cemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries