Bessie Behan (after marriage, Lewis; 1872–1956) was an American social leader.

Biography

Elizabeth Antoinette Behan was born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, on March 6, 1872. Her father was Gen. William J. Behan, a prominent southern merchant and sugar planter who served as

Mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans () has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the 1803 acquisition by the U.S. of of the French province '' ...

. Bessie's mother, Kate Walker Behan, was the city's social leader and philanthropist. She was educated at home by skilled governesses and had all the advantages of much travel. Her associations in New Orleans made the acquisition of the French language easy and natural, and she was thus master of two languages. After completing her education, she debuted in New Orleans's society in 1891. The most coveted social honor in New Orleans in that era was to be chosen queen in the Mardi Gras Carnival. That honor fell to Behan in the carnival of 1891. She was the youngest woman yet selected for coronation in that festival. On October 18, 1892, she married Dr. Hampden Sidney Lewis in New Orleans. In 1913, she received a degree in French literature from the University of the Sorbonne. Lewis made a gift to the Howard Memorial Library in 1924: a collection of literature dealing with the Confederacy period of the Confederacy. The books and the complete set of the

Southern Historical Society The Southern Historical Society was an American organization founded to preserve archival materials related to the government of the Confederate States of America and to document the history of the American Civil War. Her jewels from the Rex Ball, Carnival of 1891, were donated to the Louisiana State Museum in 1929.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Behan, Bessie 1872 births 1956 deaths People from New Orleans Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century Social leaders American people of Irish descent