Louis A. Wiltz

Louis A. Wiltz
29th Governor of Louisiana
In office
January 14, 1880 – October 16, 1881
Lieutenant Samuel D. McEnery
Preceded by Francis T. Nicholls
Succeeded by Samuel D. McEnery
15th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
In office
April 24, 1877 – January 14, 1880
Governor Francis T. Nicholls
Preceded by Caesar Antoine
Succeeded by Samuel D. McEnery
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
In office
1868
Personal details
Born (1843-01-21)January 21, 1843
New Orleans, Louisiana
Died October 16, 1881(1881-10-16) (aged 38)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Political party Democratic

Louis Alfred Wiltz (January 21, 1843 – October 16, 1881) was an American politician from the state of Louisiana. He served as 29th Governor of Louisiana from 1880 to 1881 and before that time was mayor of New Orleans, lieutenant governor of Louisiana, and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Wiltz was born on January 21, 1843[1] in New Orleans to J.B. Theophile Wiltz and the former Louise Irene Villanueva. His paternal family were among the first German settlers in Louisiana and his mother came from a noble Spanish family, her father coming to Louisiana with the Spanish Army.[2] He attended public school until the age of 15, when he began work with Plauche and Company. After the company failed, Wiltz became the clerk for the Second District Court of Louisiana. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Wiltz joined the Confederate States Army as a private but quickly rose to the rank of captain. In 1863, Wiltz married Miss Bienvinue of St. Martinville, the seat of St. Martin Parish. They had four daughters and one son.

In 1868, Wiltz was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and the New Orleans School Board. In 1872, he was elected mayor but could not take office until January 1873 because of the refusal of the Republican mayor to vacate the office. In addition to serving two years as mayor, Wiltz was once again elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and served as lieutenant governor. He was succeeded by E.D. Estilette.[3]

With the implementation of the new Louisiana state constitution of 1879, the gubernatorial term of Francis T. Nicholls was cut short by one year. An election was held in 1879, and Louis Wiltz easily defeated his Republican opponent. Wiltz’s term as governor was one rife with corruption. The corrupt Louisiana Lottery continued to have influence over the state legislature. The state treasurer, Edward A. Burke, embezzled state funds while the public schools were neglected, and black disenfranchisement continued.

Wiltz died of tuberculosis while in office on October 16, 1881, in New Orleans. Lieutenant Governor Samuel D. McEnery, a fellow Democrat, succeeded Wiltz.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, (1900) p. 83.
  3. ↑ Andrews, Elisha Benjamin (1903). The United States in our own time; a history from reconstruction to expansion; being an extension of "The history of the last quarter century. C. Scribner's Sons. pp. 160–67.Internet Archive
Political offices
Preceded by
Benjamin F. Flanders		 Mayor of New Orleans
November 30, 1872 – November 30, 1874 		Succeeded by
Charles J. Leeds
Preceded by
Charles W. Lowel		 Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives

Louis A. Wiltz (Disputed) Michael Hahn
1875

Succeeded by
E.D. Estilette

Wheeler Compromise

Preceded by
C.C. Antoine		 Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
1877-1880 		Succeeded by
Samuel D. McEnery
Preceded by
Francis T. Nicholls		 Governor of Louisiana
1880–1881 		Succeeded by
Samuel D. McEnery
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