John McEnery (politician)
Encyclopedia
John McEnery was a Louisiana Democratic politician and lawyer who was considered by Democrats to be the winner of the highly contested 1872 election for Governor of Louisiana. After extended controversy over election results, the Republican candidate William Pitt Kellogg was certified. McEnery was not allowed to take office, following a weighing in by the federal government and local Republicans loyal to President Ulysses S. Grant
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.
John McEnery (March 31, 1833, Petersburg, Virginia
– March 28, 1891) was a Louisiana Democratic politician and lawyer who was considered by Democrats to be the winner of the highly contested 1872 election for Governor of Louisiana. After extended controversy over election results, the Republican candidate William Pitt Kellogg was certified. McEnery was not allowed to take office, following a weighing in by the federal government and local Republicans loyal to President Ulysses S. Grant
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.
John McEnery (March 31, 1833, Petersburg, Virginia
– March 28, 1891) was a Louisiana Democratic politician and lawyer who was considered by Democrats to be the winner of the highly contested 1872 election for Governor of Louisiana. After extended controversy over election results, the Republican candidate William Pitt Kellogg was certified. McEnery was not allowed to take office, following a weighing in by the federal government and local Republicans loyal to President Ulysses S. Grant
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
Henry C. Warmoth
Henry Clay Warmoth was the 23rd Governor of Louisiana from 1868 until his impeachment and removal from office in December, 1872.-Early life and military career:...
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
P. B. S. Pinchback
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the first non-white and first person of African American descent to become governor of a U.S. state...
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
Rump legislature
A Rump legislature is a legislature formed of part, usually a minority, of the legislators originally elected or appointed to office.The word "rump" normally refers to the back end of an animal; its use meaning "remnant" was first recorded in the context of the 17th century Rump Parliament in England...
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
Battle of Liberty Place
The Battle of Liberty Place was an attempted insurrection by the Crescent City White League against the legal Reconstruction state government on September 14, 1874 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it was then based....
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
Colfax massacre
The Colfax massacre or Colfax Riot occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the seat of Grant Parish, during Reconstruction, when white militia attacked freedmen at the Colfax courthouse...
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction...
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall Harvey Twitchell was a Union Army soldier from Vermont who became a carpetbagger Republican state senator from Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction....
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
White League
The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.
External links
John McEnery (March 31, 1833, Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
– March 28, 1891) was a Louisiana Democratic politician and lawyer who was considered by Democrats to be the winner of the highly contested 1872 election for Governor of Louisiana. After extended controversy over election results, the Republican candidate William Pitt Kellogg was certified. McEnery was not allowed to take office, following a weighing in by the federal government and local Republicans loyal to President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
Henry C. Warmoth
Henry Clay Warmoth was the 23rd Governor of Louisiana from 1868 until his impeachment and removal from office in December, 1872.-Early life and military career:...
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
P. B. S. Pinchback
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the first non-white and first person of African American descent to become governor of a U.S. state...
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
Rump legislature
A Rump legislature is a legislature formed of part, usually a minority, of the legislators originally elected or appointed to office.The word "rump" normally refers to the back end of an animal; its use meaning "remnant" was first recorded in the context of the 17th century Rump Parliament in England...
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
Battle of Liberty Place
The Battle of Liberty Place was an attempted insurrection by the Crescent City White League against the legal Reconstruction state government on September 14, 1874 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it was then based....
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
Colfax massacre
The Colfax massacre or Colfax Riot occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the seat of Grant Parish, during Reconstruction, when white militia attacked freedmen at the Colfax courthouse...
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction...
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall Harvey Twitchell was a Union Army soldier from Vermont who became a carpetbagger Republican state senator from Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction....
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
White League
The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.
External links
John McEnery (March 31, 1833, Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
– March 28, 1891) was a Louisiana Democratic politician and lawyer who was considered by Democrats to be the winner of the highly contested 1872 election for Governor of Louisiana. After extended controversy over election results, the Republican candidate William Pitt Kellogg was certified. McEnery was not allowed to take office, following a weighing in by the federal government and local Republicans loyal to President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
In the election of 1872, McEnery, a Democrat, was supported by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Grant Republicans, including Republican Gov. Henry C. Warmoth
Henry C. Warmoth
Henry Clay Warmoth was the 23rd Governor of Louisiana from 1868 until his impeachment and removal from office in December, 1872.-Early life and military career:...
. Warmoth's opponents in the Republican Party remained loyal to President Grant, and supported Republican nominee William Pitt Kellogg.
Governor Warmoth had appointed the State Returning Board, which administered elections. A rival board endorsed Kellogg; Warmoth was impeached and removed for "stealing" the election. The Lieutenant Governor, black Republican P. B. S. Pinchback
P. B. S. Pinchback
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the first non-white and first person of African American descent to become governor of a U.S. state...
, became Governor for the last 35 days of Warmoth's term. Both McEnery and Kellogg had inaugural parties and certified lists of local officeholders.
In the spring of 1873, McEnery and his friends formed a rump legislature
Rump legislature
A Rump legislature is a legislature formed of part, usually a minority, of the legislators originally elected or appointed to office.The word "rump" normally refers to the back end of an animal; its use meaning "remnant" was first recorded in the context of the 17th century Rump Parliament in England...
in New Orleans. Five thousand of his armed white militia entered New Orleans and fought off the police and state militia. They occupied the state house and armory and turned the Republican Kellogg out of office. This was called the "Battle of Liberty Place
Battle of Liberty Place
The Battle of Liberty Place was an attempted insurrection by the Crescent City White League against the legal Reconstruction state government on September 14, 1874 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it was then based....
". It was not until Federal troops were on their way that the forces retreated from New Orleans.
The extended controversy contributed to violence throughout the state. The Colfax Massacre
Colfax massacre
The Colfax massacre or Colfax Riot occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the seat of Grant Parish, during Reconstruction, when white militia attacked freedmen at the Colfax courthouse...
on Easter Sunday 1873 was related to the contested election. White Democratic militia, raised from surrounding parishes, attacked Republican blacks who had gathered at the Colfax courthouse to defend Republican officeholders. The attackers killed more than 80 black men; three whites were killed. The events were preceded by rumors on both sides, as tensions rose in the parish.
Similarly, in Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
, the seat of the new Red River Parish
Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction...
, Republican Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall Harvey Twitchell was a Union Army soldier from Vermont who became a carpetbagger Republican state senator from Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction....
was the influential state senator. White militia drove six Republican officeholders from town, but killed them before they could leave the state. In 1874, whites in Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
who had been part of the militia at Colfax, formed the first chapter of the paramilitary organization the White League
White League
The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...
. They served as an arm of the Democratic Party in driving out Republicans and suppressing black voting at elections. Grant Parish and Colfax, formed under the Reconstruction legislature, were named for Reconstruction President Grant and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Schuyler M. Colfax.
McEnery's prominent identification with white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
assisted his brother Samuel McEnery in being elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1880. Samuel McEnery succeeded to the Governorship after Louis Wiltz died, and retained the office until 1888. Amid allegations of corruption, Samuel McEnery was not re-elected that year.