Julien de Lallande Poydras

Julien Poydras de Lallande ( born April 3, 1740 in Nantes, France, † June 14, 1824 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana ) was an American politician. Between 1809 and 1811 he represented the Orleans Territory as a delegate in the House of Representatives of the United States.

Career

Julien Poydras was born in 1740 in France in the Ancien Régime. After his school days he was during the Seven Years' War soldier in the French Navy. In 1760 he fell into British captivity. In England, he managed to escape to San Domingo, now the island of Hispaniola. From there he came to the then Spanish New Orleans in 1768. There he wrote the first printed in this area poetic works in 1779. He saw how his new home in 1801, first to France and then fell through the investments made by President Thomas Jefferson Louisiana Purchase to the United States in 1803.

Following the establishment in 1804 of the Orleans Territory Poydras became the first president of the territorial government council. At that time, he also founded the first orphanage for women in New Orleans. In the congressional elections of 1808 Poydras was as a delegate of its territory in the Congress in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of Daniel Clark on March 4, 1809. Until March 3, 1811, he represented the last delegate its territory whose interests in the U.S. House of Representatives. Then the newly created state of Louisiana sent regular Congressman.

In Louisiana, Poydras was the first President of the Constituent Assembly of that State. In the presidential election of 1812, he was one of the electors of President James Madison. In addition, he founded the Poydras orphanage. He was also involved in the establishment of an education system in Pointe Coupee Parish and died on 14 June 1824.