Julien de Lallande Poydras

Julien de Lallande (Lalande) Poydras (April 3, 1740 – June 23, 1824) was a French American merchant, planter, financier, poet, educator, and political leader who became one of the most prominent early benefactors and public figures in territorial and early statehood Louisiana. Born in France, he emigrated to Louisiana in the eighteenth century, reportedly arriving with very modest means, owning little more than the pack on his back. A bachelor throughout his life, he was said to have remained unmarried because the woman he loved in his youth was too poor to provide a dowry, a circumstance that later influenced his deep concern for the welfare and prospects of poor young women.

After his arrival in Louisiana, Poydras settled in the region that would become Pointe Coupee Parish and gradually built a substantial fortune as a merchant and planter. Through commercial enterprise, landholding, and financial activities, he rose from near poverty to become, by contemporary accounts, “a man of very large fortune, and magnificent disposition.” His success in business enabled him to participate actively in the social and cultural life of the territory, and he gained a reputation not only as a financier and landowner but also as a man of letters and an advocate for education. He wrote poetry in French, reflecting both his European background and his attachment to his adopted home, and he became known locally as a patron of learning and charitable works.

Poydras’s growing influence in the Territory of Orleans led naturally to a political career. As the United States consolidated control over the former French and Spanish colony following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, he emerged as a leading figure among the Creole and French-speaking population. He was a catalyst in the promotion of Louisiana statehood, working to secure a political framework that would protect local interests while integrating the territory into the American federal system. His prominence in territorial affairs and his reputation for public spirit contributed to his selection for national office.

As a member of the Unknown Party representing the Territory of Orleans (OL), Poydras was elected the first Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the U.S. House of Representatives and served one term in Congress from 1809 to 1811. In this nonvoting capacity, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents in a Congress that was grappling with issues of expansion, trade restrictions, and rising tensions that would culminate in the War of 1812. Although he could not cast a formal vote on the House floor, he was able to introduce measures, serve on committees, and advocate for the needs of the territory, including the advancement of its bid for statehood.

Poydras played a notable role in the transition from territorial status to statehood. He helped draft Louisiana’s first state constitution, contributing to the legal and institutional framework under which the new state entered the Union in 1812. With the admission of Louisiana as a state, he continued his public service at the state level. He served as the first President of the Louisiana State Senate from 1812 to 1813, presiding over the upper chamber in the formative years of the state’s government. In this capacity, he helped guide early legislative deliberations and contributed to the establishment of state laws and institutions during a period of political consolidation and external threat.

In addition to his political leadership, Poydras became widely known for his philanthropy, particularly in the fields of education and charitable relief. His obituary, published shortly after his death in 1824, emphasized that “the act, which no doubt will do most honour to his memory, is the foundation of the Female Orphan Asylum,” to which he devoted the very large sum of £100,000. This institution, later known as the Poydras Female Asylum, was intended to shelter and educate orphaned girls, protecting what contemporaries described as a “weak defenseless sex” from the misfortune and danger associated with poverty. His concern for the education and moral protection of young women was a defining feature of his charitable work.

Poydras’s will further demonstrated the breadth of his beneficence. For a college at Pointe Coupee he left $20,000, directing that it be used for educational purposes in the community where he had long resided. He set aside $30,000 for marriage portions to poor girls of Pointe Coupee Parish and another $30,000 for marriage portions to poor girls of the parish of West Baton Rouge, explicitly addressing the financial barrier to marriage that had marked his own early life. He also provided $5,000 to each of his godsons and goddaughters. To the Charity Hospital of New Orleans he bequeathed his house on the levee between St. Louis and Conti streets, as well as his house on Bourbon Street, strengthening one of the city’s principal institutions for the care of the sick and indigent. To the Poydras Female Asylum he left all his houses on Poydras Street and on the batture, ensuring a continuing revenue base for the institution. The remainder of his fortune went to his family, with the exception of some legacies to his friends. In Pointe Coupee, his legacy for marriage portions was later diverted to educational purposes, but in West Baton Rouge it continued in its original use well into the twentieth century.

Julien de Lallande Poydras died on June 23, 1824, and his death was noted publicly on June 25, 1824, at Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. Contemporary accounts emphasized both the scale of his fortune and the generosity with which he disposed of it, portraying him as a man whose “wise providence and humanity” would be remembered long after many more celebrated names had faded. A lifelong bachelor who rose from humble beginnings to become a leading merchant, planter, legislator, and philanthropist, he left an enduring imprint on Louisiana’s political development, educational institutions, and charitable foundations, particularly those devoted to the welfare and advancement of women and children.