Louis Charles Roudanez facts for kids

Louis Charles Roudanez (1823-1890) was an American doctor and newspaper publisher. He started the first African-American newspaper in the American South. It was called L'Union (1862-1864). This newspaper was special because it was the first bilingual (French and English) newspaper for African Americans in the U.S.

Later, he started La Tribune de la Nouvelle-Orleans (The New Orleans Tribune) (1864-1870). This was the first daily black newspaper, and it was also bilingual. Dr. Roudanez was a Creole of color. He started the newspaper with his older brother, Jean Baptiste Roudanez. They hired Paul Trevigne to be the editor. Paul Trevigne helped them support the Republican Party and end slavery.

About Louis Roudanez

His Early Life

Louis Charles Roudanez was born in 1823 in St. James Parish, Louisiana. His father was Louis Roudanez, a white French merchant. His mother was Aimée Potens (c. 1793-1878). She was a free woman of color with African and French heritage.

Aimée Potens was born enslaved in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). After a revolution there, she came to New Orleans and became free. Louis Charles Roudanez had an older brother named Jean Baptiste. Louis Roudanez always saw himself as a person of color.

Like many Creoles from New Orleans, he went to France for his higher education. He earned a medical degree there. After returning to the U.S., he studied medicine again. He attended either Dartmouth College or Cornell University. Later, he came back to New Orleans and opened his own medical practice.

His Newspaper Career

In 1862, the Union army took control of New Orleans during the American Civil War. After this, Roudanez started L'Union newspaper. It was mainly for the Creole people, or free people of color, in Louisiana. The newspaper was published in both French and English.

Paul Trevigne was the editor. The paper strongly supported the Republican Party. Jean-Charles Houzeau, an astronomer and writer from Belgium, also worked with them. He supported ending slavery.

After L'Union closed, Roudanez started La Tribune de la Nouvelle Orléans (The New Orleans Tribune) in 1864. This was the first daily Black newspaper in the United States. It was also bilingual. Both newspapers were published at 527 Conti Street in the French Quarter. Roudanez brought a printing press from New York for the new paper.

After the Civil War, there were political disagreements. Northern Republicans led efforts to rebuild the South. These people were sometimes called "carpetbaggers" by Southerners. Roudanez and other free men of color disagreed with them. They argued about which Republican candidates to support in the 1868 election. Because of this, Roudanez and his newspaper lost support.

Dr. Roudanez was part of a group that left the local Republican Party. They did not like that the party chose Northerners for state offices. These free people of color often spoke French and were Catholic. They were of mixed-race heritage. Many of their families had been free and successful in New Orleans for generations. They were a separate group from white Creoles and the newly freed African Americans.

Roudanez and his group wanted voting rights for all African-American men. They also wanted access to schools and other public places. They believed that Northern Republicans were trying to divide them from the freedmen. Freedmen were the large number of newly freed enslaved people in the state. Thomas W. Conway, a white Republican, was a strong critic of Roudanez.

Conway went to Washington D.C. to try and stop Roudanez's paper from being an official Republican publication. After the election, some of Roudanez's supporters were removed from the party. His newspaper lost support and closed in 1868. It reopened when Henry C. Warmoth won the election. Warmoth was a white Republican candidate. He later faced accusations of corruption and was removed from office.

His Death

Louis Charles Roudanez passed away in 1890.

His Legacy

In 2015, Roudanez's family placed a historical marker on his tomb. It is in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. That same year, a special event was held to remember him. This marked 125 years since his death.

In 2018, another historical marker was placed. It is at 527 Conti Street, where his newspapers were once published.

Roudanez in Media

• Hidden History: The Story of the New Orleans Tribune (2016) is a short film. It is about Roudanez and his newspaper. It also shows the research of his great-great-grandson, Mark Roudané.
• OperaCreole created Les Lions de la Reconstruction (2018). This is an opera about Roudanez and Paul Trevigne. It was performed in New Orleans at the Marigny Opera House. The music came from 19th-century composers of color.