Charles W. Hornor facts for kids
Charles West Hornor (born January 4, 1813 – died July 8, 1905) was an important lawyer and political activist during a time in American history called the Reconstruction Era. This was the period right after the Civil War. He worked in New Orleans, helping people who had been freed from slavery. He was known as a "radical" white leader in New Orleans because he strongly supported equal rights. Hornor even helped the first female lawyer appear before the highest court in the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court.
Early Life and Education
Charles West Hornor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1813. His family, the Hornors, were Quakers who came to America in 1683 with William Penn. Quakers believe in peace and equality, and these values were very important to Charles's family. His grandfather, Benjamin Hornor, even helped start the Pennsylvania Abolition Society in 1784. This group worked to end slavery.
Charles went to schools in Philadelphia. Later, he studied at Nazareth Hall in Pennsylvania, which was a special boarding school. When he was 16, he had to leave school. He started working in a business that sold dry goods. Even at that young age, he really wanted to become a lawyer.
After a few years, he worked for a company that dealt with money. In 1836, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans was growing fast and becoming a very important city for trade on the Mississippi River. He worked in a bank, then for an insurance company. At the insurance company, he was able to study law with the company's lawyer. Charles became a lawyer himself in 1842, when he was 29 years old.
Charles married Mary Ellen Talman in 1835. They had two children. Sadly, Mary Ellen died in 1841. In 1850, Charles married Sarah Elizabeth Smith. They had eight more children together.
Legal Career and Activism
After becoming a lawyer, Charles Hornor started a law firm with Thomas J. Durant. They both came from Philadelphia. They worked together in New Orleans until the Civil War ended.
After the war, Durant moved to Washington D.C. Hornor first moved to Philadelphia, then joined Durant in Washington D.C. in 1872. There, he continued to practice law, even arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He kept working until he was quite old.
Charles W. Hornor was a very smart person. Even after he retired, he kept learning new things. He studied medicine and even translated a difficult German book about art into English. His daughter, Alice Lee Moqué, was from his second marriage. His grandson, Walter O. Snelling, became a famous chemist. His great-grandson, Richard A. Snelling, was a governor of Vermont.
