Felix LaBauve (1809–1879) was a French-born American politician, businessperson, newspaper publisher, newspaper editor, early settler, and community leader in DeSoto County, Mississippi. He was a former member of the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

serving from 1846 to 1848. LaBauve was also a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and is believed to be the first person to establish a scholarship program at a Mississippi state-supported institution of higher learning. His former home, the Felix LaBauve House is listed as a

Mississippi Landmark A Mississippi Landmark is a building officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestowed on prope ...

, and on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. With His name is alternatively spelled as Felix Labauve and Felix La Bauve.

Early life and family

Felix LaBauve was born on November 16, 1809, in

Vouziers Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France. Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His father of the same name, Felix LaBauve (1741–1815) was a professional soldier for the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army () was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another du ...

for

Comte de Rochambeau Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807) was a French Royal Army officer who played a critical role in the Franco-American victory at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. ...

at Yorktown during the 1781 military campaign of the American Revolutionary War and later with

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Career

LaBauve moved to DeSoto County, Mississippi in 1836, during the point the county was being founded. He initially founded a

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

, trading calico textiles, beads, and blankets with local Native Americans. LaBauve had political aspirations and was a vocal supporter of Democratic philosophy, he joined the Hernando town council in 1839. In the same year 1839, he founded the newspaper the ''DeSoto Times Tribune'' (formerly ''The Hernando Free Press and States Rights Democrat'') in the city of Hernando, Mississippi. In 1841, he had launched another county newspaper, ''The Phenix'' (sometimes written as ''The Phoenix'', and known as ''Peoples Press'' by 1859). By 1859, the ''DeSoto Times Tribune'' closed due to financial issues; however it has been considered a forerunner to the ''DeSoto Times–Tribune'' which is still in print. LaBauve was a former member of the

serving from 1846 to 1848 in DeSoto, Washington, Coahoma, Sunflower, Tunica, Bolivar, and Issaquena counties. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, LaBauve was too old to fight but he aided the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

war effort, and was said to have captured four Union Army soldiers by himself. In 1878, he served as an honorary Commissioner representing his state and county at the International Industrial Exposition in Paris.

Death and legacy

LaBauve died on June 12, 1879 and is buried at Hernando Memorial Park Cemetery. He bequeathed an endowment of US $20,000 and in 1879 established 'The Felix Labauve Scholarship' at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

for the explicit purpose of establishing a permanent scholarship for orphaned boys from DeSoto County, Mississippi. The scholarship is no longer in existence, but he left a lasting legacy. He had also willed multiple tracts of land to the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

, with the stipulation of creating a "Roman Catholic Chapel" in Hernando and a cemetery where he would be interred. In 1976, the former LaBauve House in Hernando was donated to the city, with the goal of preservation. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The University of Mississippi Libraries holds the 'Felix LaBauve Collection' in the archives.

References

External links

Felix LaBauve Collection
at University of Mississippi Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:LaBauve, Felix 1809 births 1879 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper founders American businesspeople American community activists American newspaper editors Confederate States Army personnel French emigrants to the United States Mississippi state senators People from Hernando, Mississippi People from Vouziers 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature