Louis Alfred Wiltz
Louis Alfred Wiltz (October 22, 1843–October 16, 1881) was an
American politician
from the state of Louisiana
. He served as
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 in New
Orleans
to J.B. Theopile Wiltz and the former Louise
Irene Villanueva. 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 1875 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.
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
- Internet Archive
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