Pierre Soulé
| Pierre Soulé | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator from Louisiana |
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| In office January 21, 1847 – March 3, 1847 March 3, 1849 – April 11, 1853 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Barrow Henry Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Solomon W. Downs John Slidell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 31, 1801 Castillon-en-Couserans, France |
| Died | March 26, 1870 (aged 68) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Henrietta Armantine Mercier |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Pierre Soulé (August 31, 1801 – March 26, 1870) was a U.S. politician and diplomat from Louisiana during the mid-19th century. He is best known for his role in writing the Ostend Manifesto, which was written in 1854 as part of an attempt to annex Cuba to the United States. The Manifesto was roundly denounced, especially by anti-slavery elements, and Soulé himself came under severe attack.
Soulé was born in Castillon-en-Couserans, a village in the French Pyrénées. He was exiled from France for revolutionary activities, allowed to return, then imprisoned several years later for his continued opposition to the government. In 1825 he escaped prison, and fled first to Great Britain, then to Haiti, and finally to the United States, where he settled down in New Orleans and became a lawyer.
In 1847, Soulé sat briefly in the United States Senate as a Democrat. He returned to the Senate from 1849 to 1853. He then resigned to take an appointment as U.S. Minister to Spain, a post he held until 1855.
Soulé opposed Southern secession before the American Civil War, but supported his state, Louisiana, after the war began. In 1861, he supported the organization of the Allen Rifles and gave an impassioned speech at a big barbecue in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish.[1]
On May 18, 1861, Soulé was captured by Federal troops, charged with "plotting treason against the United States government," and imprisoned in Fort Warren, Massachusetts.[2] Soulé was able to escape back into Confederate territory.
After the war ended in 1865, he went into exile in Havana. He eventually returned, and he died in New Orleans.
See also[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pierre Soulé |
References[edit]
- General
- Pierre Soulé at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Moore, J. Preston. "Pierre Soule: Southern Expansionist and Promoter," Journal of Southern History, May 1955, Vol. 21 Issue 2, pp 203–223
- Specific
- ^ John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, p. 76
- ^ Winters, p. 133
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Barrow |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Louisiana January 21, 1847 – March 3, 1847 Served alongside: Henry Johnson |
Succeeded by Solomon W. Downs |
| Preceded by Henry Johnson |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Louisiana March 3, 1849 – April 11, 1853 Served alongside: Solomon W. Downs and Judah P. Benjamin |
Succeeded by John Slidell |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Daniel M. Barringer |
United States Ambassador to Spain April 7, 1853 – February 1, 1855 |
Succeeded by Augustus C. Dodge |
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