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	August 20, 1834 New Orleans, Louisiana
Died	October 16, 1881 (aged 47) New Orleans, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic

Louis Alfred Wiltz (October 22, 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 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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. "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, (1900) p. 83.
2. 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

External links

• State of Louisiana - Biography
• Kendall's History of New Orleans, Chapter 22: Wiltz
• New Orleans Public Library page
• Works by Louis A. Wiltz at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Louis A. Wiltz at Internet Archive