B. L. Lynch

B. L. Lynch
Attorney General of Louisiana
In office
1865–1867
Personal details
Born1830 (1830)
County Limerick, Ireland
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations
Moderate Republicans

Bartholomew Leahy Lynch[1] (born 1830 in County Limerick, Ireland)[2][3] was an educator, lawyer, and the first Republican Attorney General of Louisiana, serving from 1865 to 1867 during the Reconstruction Era.[4] Lynch emigrated from Ireland in 1851 and settled near Alexandria, Louisiana.[5] He served as a lieutenant in the Louisiana State Militia after Louisiana seceded from the Union, though he claimed he was forced into service. Although he later voluntarily accepted a commission from the governor of Confederate Louisiana, he claimed to have never believed in the cause of the Confederacy.[1] In February 1864, Lynch was elected as Attorney General of Union-controlled "Free Louisiana" on the Moderate Republican ticket.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wetta, Francis Joseph (1977). The Louisiana Scalawags. (Volumes I and II) (PhD thesis). Louisiana State University.
  2. ^ Tunnell, Ted (1984-11-01). Crucible of Reconstruction: War, Radicalism, and Race in Louisiana, 1862–1877. LSU Press. ISBN 9780807154038.
  3. ^ "DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF.; Proceedings and Incidents in New Orleans. SLAVERY AND THE FREED NEGROES.THE FREE STATE CONVENTION. ABUSE OF THE FREED PEOPLE. A REBEL RETAINS HIS SERVANTS PROPERTY. GOVERNOR OF THE STATE. SECRETARY OF STATE. STATE TREASURER. ATTORNEY-GENERAL. AUDITOR OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION". The New York Times. 1864-04-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  4. ^ "Louisiana Former Attorneys General". National Association of Attorneys General. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  5. ^ Caskey, Willie Malvin (1938). Secession and restoration of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press. p. 108.