Kings & Pawns:
The Bloodlines of Bourbon-Orléans
BY LAURA KUHN
2015
PART SIX:
Governors of Louisiana
From the early days of colonial Louisiana to present-day America, the governing officials who have been appointed as the sovereign power of statehood often leave a trail of breadcrumb sins in their paths of righteousness.
The chief executives who govern police and political power in the territory of old Louisiana, from its beginning as a French colony to the trade to the Spanish and then the sale to the United States, are a group of diverse men whose legendary actions shaped the face of New Orleans and surrounding cities throughout the years.
The Governors of Louisiana seem to carve a picturesque landscape through the past with influential power, rights of authority, and constitutional monarchy. From crown to state seal, Governors exercise executive command no matter how twisted the fates intertwine with destiny.
When the Americas were first discovered
in fourteen-ninety-two,
Christopher Columbus claimed the land
and henceforth, the New World grew.
In fifty years, Hernando de Soto
expeditioned by land and sea,
Discovering a vast waterway system,
a river called the Mississippi.
A century later, Louis the Great
was crowned King of France.
He sent his men to America in search
of trade routes to improve finance.
An explorer named Robert de La Salle,
in sixteen-eighty-two,
Claimed Louisiana in the name of France
before he was murdered by his crew.
Ten years later, the brothers Le Moyne
headed for the horizon,
Landing their four ships off the coast
on what is now known as Ship Island.
Within the new territory of Louisiana,
the first governor was decreed.
Not much is known about this man
named Sauvole de la Villantry.
For one year he reigned as governor,
keeping journals of his quest
Until suddenly Sauvole took ill with fever
and died of cardiac arrest.
After Sauvole’s timeless death
a new governor must run
Brother Le Moyne, Bienville, took charge
in seventeen-o-one.
Bienville’s governorship thus continued
supported by electioneers
As he intertwined with other leaders
serving terms for forty years.
Bienville also became known
as the Father of New Orleans,
Discovering a crescent bend in the river
perfect for a French colony.
The city of New Orleans became the capitol
in seventeen-twenty-one.
As Adrien de Pauger planned the settlement,
the dawn of a new era had begun.
Governor Marquis de Vaudreuil addressed
the lack of currency
By issuing paper money to the people
which was recalled by the king.
Before the Seven Years’ War began,
the last French governor took seat,
Louis Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlerec,
in seventeen-fifty-three.
A decade of war came to pass
with the Treaty of Fontainebleau
In which the Spanish took control
of the city and the bayou.
Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa
began his administration
Even while a group of Creoles rebelled
against his appointed vocation.
The Louisiana Rebellion continued on
into the next governor’s term
But Alejandro O’Reilly executed the ringleaders
and his power was reaffirmed.
In seventeen-seventy-seven
Bernardo de Galvez came to reign
As Governor of Louisiana
although the people thought him lame.
He was only thirty years of age,
with no administrative experience,
And yet he implemented economic reforms
that proved him quite victorious.
Governor Galvez cracked down on illegal trade,
petitioning the Spanish King,
While providing subsidies to tobacco farmers
as its trade was flourishing.
During the next twenty-five years,
several men took office.
Esteban Miró promoted immigration
and improved the populace.
Barón Héctor de Carondelet
gave protection to the slaves
By introducing a slave code for owners
during this unjust age.
While the French Revolutionary War broke out
on European soil,
King Louis and Marie Antoinette were beheaded
in time of chaos and toil.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
envisioned a new empire
He forced Spain to return Louisiana to France
as a secret treaty conspired.
A few years later, in eighteen-o-three,
in an attempt to settle debts,
Napoleon sold Louisiana to America
solidifying the heart of the U.S.
The governor was now William C. Claiborne
and Louisiana was American.
In need of a state seal, Claiborne suggested
the iconic brown pelican.
The Quadroon Balls reigned through society
in a multicultural realm
And steamboats docked at the city’s port–
the river an economic helm.
In eighteen-fifteen the British invaded
at the Battle of New Orleans
But Andrew Jackson slaughtered the red coats
with the help of Jean Lafitte.
While cotton became king in high demand,
New Orleans was the center of trade,
And in eighteen-thirty-eight, the city held
the first Mardi Gras parade.
Governors were elected through the years
Derbigny, Johnson, Roman and Moore...
the list goes on and on.
Some governors left their imprint
in the titles of towns and streets,
From parish to pavement, names are written
on signs and in concrete.
Through New Orleans, throughout this state,
their memories continue to live on,
The governing Governors of Louisiana
who played both the king and pawn.
AFTERWORD:
From avenue to esplanade,
the edge of New Orleans tempts its fate
Ripe with pleasure and possibilities—
a chemistry of joy on an isle of dreams.
Poets gathered with sweat and blood
to build this city upon river mud.
At its heart: theatre, convent, regime—
unfolds the secrets of the Bourbon-Orleans.