Edwin Warren Moïse (1810–1868) was an American medical doctor, lawyer, Speaker of the Louisiana House, Attorney General of Louisiana, and District Court Judge.
Early life
Edwin Warren Moïse was born on January 2, 1810, in Charleston, South Carolina. His father was Hyam Moïse (1785–1811) native of
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...
(now
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
) and his mother, Cecelia Francis (Woolf) Moïse (1789–1871).MOÏSE ''
Jewish Encyclopedia
''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...
'' He grew up in Charleston, and attended
Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim ( he, קהל קדוש בית אלוהים, also known as K. K. Beth Elohim, or more simply Congregation Beth Elohim) is a Reform Judaism, Reform Synagogue located in Charleston, South Carolina. Having founded the congrega ...
with his family.Robert N. Rosen, ''
The Jewish Confederates
''The Jewish Confederates'' is a 2001 history book authored by Robert N. Rosen about Jewish citizens of the Confederate States of America who served in the Confederate States Army (CSA) during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. As they made u ...
Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. Its population as of 2020 was 928.
History
This historic town, one of the oldest in Mississippi, is set among the rolling hills and pastures of Wilkins ...
, an affluent town thanks to the cotton industry. In 1840, he moved to
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 re ...
and served as Speaker of the House.Jonathan D. Sarna, Adam Mendelsohn, ''Jews and the Civil War: A Reader'', New York City: NYU Press, 2010, p. 3 /ref>Samuel S. Hill, ''Religion in the Southern States: A Historical Study'', Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1983, p. 14 /ref> He then served as
United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
. Under Governor
Robert C. Wickliffe
Robert Charles Wickliffe (January 6, 1819 – April 18, 1895) was Lieutenant Governor and the 15th Governor of Louisiana from 1856 to 1860.
Early life and education
He was born in Bardstown, Kentucky at Wickland to Governor (and later U.S. ...
(1819–1895), who served as the 15th Governor of Louisiana from 1856 to 1860, he served as Attorney General of Louisiana.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
of 1861–1865, Moïse served as the District Court Judge for
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
. He was a
secessionist
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...
, supported
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
cause and subscribed to the ideas of
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...
(1782–1850).
Personal life
Moïse was married twice. His first wife was Priscilla (Lopez) Moïse (1807–1839), the daughter of David Lopez (1750–1811) and Priscilla Lopez (1775–1856) and granddaughter of slave trader
Aaron Lopez
Aaron Lopez (1731–1782), born Duarte Lopez, was a merchant, slave trader, and philanthropist in colonial Rhode Island. Through his varied commercial ventures, he became the wealthiest person in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1761 and 1762, Lopez ...
(1731–1782). They had two daughters and one son:
*Cecilia Woodville Moïse (1836–1921).
*Theodore Lopez Moïse (1839–1839). He died a few days after was born.
*Sallie Lopez Moïse (1839–1924). Her mother died four days after her birth.
His second wife was Louise (Hubert) Moïse (1827–1875), the daughter of William de St. Hubert (1781–1847) and Rose Emilie (De La Chenaye) Hubert (1796–1863), whose maternal grandfather owned a large sugar plantation in
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...
. They had four sons and one daughter:
*Louise Moïse (1854–1856).
*Marie Aline Moïse Conrad (1857–1906). She married George Mather Conrad, and they had six children.
*Harry Moïse (1861–1912). He married Josephine Julia (Hereford) (1862–1941), and they had four children.
*Theodore Sidney Moïse (1862–1915). He married Mary Louise (Gaston) Moïse (1865–1936), the daughter of Dr John Brown Gaston (1834–1913) who served as the mayor of
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
from 1881 to 1885, and they had five children. He worked as Superintendent of the
Georgia Central Railway
The Georgia Central Railway operates about of former Seaboard Coast Line track from Macon, Georgia through Dublin, Georgia and Vidalia, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. It also operates about of trackage between Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, ...
.
*Warren Hubert Moïse (1864–1939). He married Laura Mason (1876–1922), and he worked as a stock broker in San Francisco, California.
Death
Moïse died on June 29, 1868, in
Jefferson, Louisiana
Jefferson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the north side (referred to as the "East Bank") of the Mississippi River. Jefferson is part of the New Orleans– Metairie– Kenner metropolit ...
. He was buried in the
Lafayette Cemetery
Lafayette Cemetery was a cemetery in the Passyunk Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1828 and originally intended for 14,000 burials but over time fell into disrepair and became overcrowded with 47,000 bu ...