author
Louis Alfred Wiltz
1843–1881
A New Orleans politician who rose from city leadership to the governor’s office, he lived through the turbulence of the Civil War and Reconstruction and held several of Louisiana’s most important public posts. His career was brief but eventful, ending while he was still in office in 1881.
1 Audiobook
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1874: Its Extent, Duration, and Effects
by Louis Alfred Wiltz
About the author
Born in New Orleans in 1843, Louis Alfred Wiltz became a prominent Louisiana political figure in the years after the Civil War. Reliable biographical sources agree that he served as mayor of New Orleans, lieutenant governor of Louisiana, and then as the state’s 29th governor.
Accounts from the National Governors Association and other historical references say he was educated in Louisiana and served in the Civil War, rising from private to captain in the New Orleans Artillery before entering politics in 1868. His rise through local and state office reflects how closely New Orleans and Louisiana politics were intertwined during Reconstruction and its aftermath.
Wiltz became governor in 1880 and died in office in 1881. Even in a short life, he left a clear mark on Louisiana public life by moving through the legislature, city hall, and the governor’s office in a period of major political change.