Thibodaux ( ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

in, and the

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of,

Lafourche Parish Lafourche Parish (french: Paroisse de la Fourche) is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Thibodaux. The parish was formed in 1807. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, ...

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 ...

, United States, along the banks of

Bayou Lafourche Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 ba ...

in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Thibodaux is

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d the "Queen City of Lafourche."

History

The first documented Native American inhabitants of the Thibodaux area were the Chawasha, a small tribe related to the Chitimacha of the upper Bayou Lafourche. The first settlers of European descent in this area arrived in the 18th century, when Louisiana was the Spanish province of Luisiana. They consisted of French nationals and Louisiana-born French and German creoles, followed shortly by Spanish and French Acadian immigrants. The colonists gradually began to import Africans in bondage as slaves to work on and develop rice and sugar cane plantations. The United States acquired Louisiana from France in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, after Napoleon, then First Consul, decided to sell France's North American possessions due to the failure to regain control of Saint-Domingue (which became the Republic of Haiti) and the impending threat of war with Great Britain. The present State of Louisiana became the U.S. Territory of Orleans, and in 1805 the Territorial Legislature created ten counties, among them the County of Lafourche (later Lafourche Parish). Americans from other states then began to settle in the area. As early as 1808, a trading post and small village, known as "Thibodeauxville," had been established on the west bank of Bayou Lafourche, due to its strategic location near the confluence of Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Terrebonne. By the 1820s, the village had grown to a local center of the sugar cane industry. This settlement was formally incorporated as a town in 1830 under the name "Thibodauxville", in honor of local planter Henry Schuyler Thibodaux, the son of Acadian exiles. He had provided the land for the original village center and, as lieutenant governor, assumed the office of acting governor of the State of Louisiana in 1824. The area was developed in the antebellum period for sugar cane plantations, and Thibodaux was the trading center of the region. Sugar cane was an important commodity crop. The name of the town was shortened to "Thibodeaux" in 1838. The current spelling of the city's name, "Thibodaux," was apparently officially adopted in 1900. In January 1844, the prominent statesman and U.S. Senator

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, ...

, the "Great Compromiser," visited Thibodaux for several days as part of his campaign for the U.S. Presidency. A residential lane along the canal connecting Bayou Lafourche to Bayou Terrebonne was later named in his honor. Confederate General Braxton Bragg, the victor at Chickamauga, and his wife had a plantation, "Bivouac," just north of Thibodaux and attended services at St. John's Episcopal Church on Jackson Street, founded by Bishop Leonidas Polk, the owner of "Leighton" plantation and later a Confederate lieutenant general killed in action. In 1896, the first

rural free delivery Rural Free Delivery (RFD) was a program of the United States Post Office Department that began in the late 19th century to deliver mail directly to rural destinations. Previously, individuals living in remote homesteads had to pick up mail themsel ...

of mail in Louisiana began in Thibodaux. It was the second such RFD in the United States.

Civil War

In October 1862, following the Battle of Georgia Landing (Labadieville), Thibodaux was occupied by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

under Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel. Before the Confederates left the city, under the command of General

Alfred Mouton Jean-Jacques-Alfred-Alexandre "Alfred" Mouton (February 18, 1829 – April 8, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Although trained at West Point, he soon resigned his commission to become a civil engineer and then a ...

, they burned the depot, the bridge, sugar, and supplies that they could not carry with them, in order to prevent Union forces from benefitting by them. On June 20, 1863, Texas Confederate cavalry forces attacked the Union force occupying Thibodaux and captured the town. In a letter dated July 1, 1863, to his sister, Confederate Texas cavalryman Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Price proudly described the courage of his horse and a dramatic cavalry charge across the rebuilt Jackson Street bridge:

"I wish you could have seen Rowdy in the charge upon hibodauxille, I never saw a better cavalry horse, about three hundred of the best horses of the regiment was selected by Lt Col Crump to make the charge, and I can assure you that Rowdy stood the fire of the enemies 'sic''guns as well or better than the rider. The cowardly Yankees could have killed all of us while we were crossing the bridge of hibodauxbut they only fired three rounds before they skedaddled and then such a yell; In one hour after we entered the town, the victory was ours . . ."

Winters reports that

terrified
Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
es and whites raced into the town announcing that 3,000 Confederate cavalrymen were en route to attack Thibodaux and Lafourche Crossing. Union Colonel Thomas W. Cahill ordered an immediate retreat. The bayou bridges were burned, three field guns were destroyed, and as many of the men and the horses as possible were loaded . . . and ordered to Raceland. . . . Ammunition was destroyed, horses abandoned, and four field pieces were left behind.

Once the area was again under Union control, they ordered that enslaved people of African descent were to be freed and paid wages as free laborers. White planters in Thibodaux complained about having to negotiate labor contracts for the African-American workers. Alexander F. Pugh, a major sugar planter near Thibodaux, complained that

"I have agreed with the Negroes today to pay them monthly wages. It was very distasteful to me, but I could do no better. Everybody else in the neighborhood has agreed to pay the same, and mine aborerswould listen to nothing else."

Post-Reconstruction and Thibodaux massacre

In the late 19th century, after having taken back control of the state government following the Reconstruction era by use of election fraud and violence by paramilitary forces such as the

White League The White League, also known as the White Man's League, was a white paramilitary terrorism, terrorist organization started in the Southern United States in 1874 to intimidate freedmen into not voting and prevent Republican Party (United States), ...

, which suppressed black voting, white Democrats continued to consolidate their power over the state government. In the late 1880s they were challenged temporarily by a biracial coalition of Populists and Republicans. In this period, because blacks were skilled sugar workers, they briefly retained more rights and political power than did African Americans in the north of the state who worked as tenant farmers or sharecroppers on cotton plantations. But from 1880, through the Louisiana Sugar Producers Association, some 200 major planters worked to regain slave conditions and control of workers, adopting uniform pay, withholding 80 percent of the workers' pay until after harvest, and making them accept

scrip A scrip (or '' chit'' in India) is any substitute for legal tender. It is often a form of credit. Scrips have been created and used for a variety of reasons, including exploitive payment of employees under truck systems; or for use in local c ...

, redeemable only at plantation stores owned by the planters, rather than cash. Cane workers struck intermittently against these conditions. The

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (K of L), officially Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was an American labor federation active in the late 19th century, especially the 1880s. It operated in the United States as well in Canada, and had chapters also ...

organized a chapter in 1886 in Shreveport, Louisiana and attracted many cane workers seeking better conditions. A sugar cane workers' strike in Lafourche and three neighboring parishes involved 10,000 workers, 1,000 of whom were white, during the critical "rolling period" of the sugar cane harvest. Planters were alarmed both by outside labor organizations and the thought of losing their total crops. The governor called in the state militia at the planters' request; they protected strikebreakers and evicted black workers. The strike was broken in Terrebone Parish. Paramilitary forces closed off Thibodaux, where numerous black workers had taken refuge. A New Orleans newspaper reported that "for three weeks past the negro women of the town have been making threats to the effect that if the white men resorted to arms they would burn the town and ndthe lives of the white women and children with their cane knives." Similarly, in the days leading up to the climactic event, it was reported that " me of the colored women made open threats against the people and the community, declaring that they would destroy any house in the town" and that " t a few of the negroes boasted that in case a fight was made they were fully prepared for it." One historian adds:

As late as November 21 some still comported themselves with confidence, and perhaps bravado, on the sidewalks. Mary Pugh, widow of Richard Pugh, owner of Live Oak Plantation in Lafourche Parish, reported "meeting negro men singly or two or three together with guns on their shoulders going down town & negro women on each side telling them to 'fight - yes - fight we'll be there.'"

On November 23, after the ambush and wounding of two pickets posted in the southern section of town, the militia committee began to indiscriminately shoot black workers and some family members, killing an estimated 35 (and quite possibly more) in what is called the "

Thibodaux massacre The Thibodaux massacre was an episode of racial violence that occurred in Thibodaux, Louisiana on November 23, 1887. It followed a three-week strike during the critical harvest season in which an estimated 10,000 workers protested against the li ...

" of November 23, 1887. The incident is generally considered to be the second bloodiest labor dispute in U.S. history. Casualties including wounded and missing were claimed by some to be in the hundreds, but there has never been an accurate count. The cane workers returned to the plantations under conditions dictated by white planters. The massacre and subsequent disenfranchisement of blacks in Louisiana at the turn of the century by making voter registration more difficult, and white Democrats' imposition of

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

, ended labor organizing of cane workers until the 1940s.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,948 people, 5,548 households, and 2,965 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 14,431 people, 5,500 households, and 3,355 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 2,636.8 people per square mile (1,018.6/km²). There were 6,004 housing units at an average density of 1,097.0 per square mile (423.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.04%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 33.76%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population. There were 5,500 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,697, and the median income for a family was $36,551. Males had a median income of $31,464 versus $21,144 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,966. About 20.6% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Roman Catholic patron saints of Thibodaux are Saint Valérie, an early Christian martyr, and

Saint Vitalis of Milan Saint Vitalis of Milan ( it, San Vitale) was an early Christian martyr and saint. Biography His legend relates that Vitalis was a wealthy citizen of Milan, perhaps a soldier. He was married to Valeria of Milan. They are supposed to have been the ...

, her husband, also a martyr. A life-sized reliquary of Saint Valérie, containing an arm bone, was brought to Thibodaux in 1868 and is displayed in her shrine in St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux. A smaller reliquary, with a relic of St. Vitalis, is displayed near St. Valérie's reliquary. St. Valérie has traditionally been invoked for intercession in protecting Thibodaux from hurricanes. Richard D'Alton Williams, a well-known 19th-century Irish patriot, poet, and physician, died of tuberculosis in Thibodaux in 1862, and is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. His headstone was erected that year by Irish members of the

8th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry The 8th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 8th New Hampshire Infantry was organized in Manchester, New Hampshire, and mustered in for a three-year enl ...

, then encamped in Thibodaux. A famous Mississippi blues musician, Eddie "

Guitar Slim Eddie Jones (December 10, 1926 – February 7, 1959), better known as Guitar Slim, was an American guitarist in the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song " The Things That I Used to Do", for Specialty Records. It is listed in t ...

" Jones, is buried in Thibodaux, where he often played, and where his manager, Hosea Hill, resided. Two-term Governor of Louisiana Francis T. Nicholls is buried in the Episcopal Cemetery on Jackson Street.

Government

The mayor of Thibodaux is elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

and is currently Tommy Eschete. The city council of seven is elected from five

single-member district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner v ...

s, and two

members. Thibodaux is in Parish Council Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the Louisiana Legislature, Thibodaux is currently represented by District 55 Rep. Bryan Fontenot (R-Thibodaux) and Sen. Bret Allain (R-Jeanerette). In the United States Congress, it is represented by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge), Sen.

Bill Cassidy William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Louisiana, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Louisiana ...

(R- Baton Rouge) and Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Madisonville). The

Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) is a cabinet-level Louisiana state agency that provides youth corrections services in the state. The full official title of the agency is Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Youth Services, O ...

operates an office in Thibodaux. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

operates the Thibodaux Post Office. ZIP codes for Thibodaux are 70301, 70302, and 70310. Thibodaux's telephone area code is 985.

Education

Residents are zoned to schools in the

Lafourche Parish Public Schools Lafourche Parish Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The district serves all of Lafourche Parish, including a portion of Des Allemands.See search page/ref>''Engineering News-Record'', Volume 143, Part 1 ...

. Zoned elementary schools include: * C. M. Washington Elementary School * Thibodaux Elementary School * W.S. Lafargue Elementary School Zoned middle schools include: * East Thibodaux Middle School * West Thibodaux Middle School * Sixth Ward Middle School Thibodaux residents are zoned to Thibodaux High School. From 1950 until 1968, C.M. Washington High School served as the segregated public school for African Americans in Thibodaux.
See image of the historic plaque
/ref> Catholic schools (of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux ( la, Dioecesis Humensis–Thibodensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Louisiana. It comprises Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, the eas ...

) include: *

Edward Douglas White Catholic High School Edward Douglas White Catholic High School, also known as E. D. White High School, is a private, Roman Catholic junior and senior high school in Thibodaux, Louisiana in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. It is named for Edward Douglass White, ninth ...

* St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary * St. Joseph Catholic Elementary Colleges: *

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicho ...

Lafourche Parish is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College.

Media

The local newspaper is '' The Daily Comet''. It was founded in 1889 as ''Lafourche Comet''. It was owned by

The New York Times Company The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City. History The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. ...

from 1979 until 2011. The company sold this and other regional newspapers to

Halifax Media Group Halifax Media Group was an American newspaper company owning more than 30 newspapers in five Southeastern U.S. States. It was founded on March 31, 2010 when a group of investors purchased ''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' from the Davidson fami ...

. Cable television and Internet are provided in Thibodaux b
Reserve Telecommunications
AT&T, and Charter Spectrum.

In popular culture

*The family and city name "Thibodaux" is mentioned in

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

' "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)." In 1972 Leon Russell had the song "Cajun Love Song," in which Thibodaux is mentioned. It is also mentioned in the 1970s

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", "U.S. Male", " A Thi ...

song " Amos Moses," in the 1990s

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited fo ...

song "Adalida," in Dan Baird's 1992 song "Dixie Beauxderaunt," the 1999

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

song "I Will Play for Gumbo," and the 2008 Toby Keith song "Creole Woman," and "Thibodaux" is the title of a song by jazz singer Marcia Ball. *The 1989 motion picture '' Fletch Lives'' was set in a fictionalized Thibodaux. *The video for

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member ...

's 2022 single "

The Lightning I, II ''WE'' (sometimes stylized as ''"WE"'') is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released through Columbia Records on May 6, 2022. Produced by Nigel Godrich and band members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, it was recor ...

" was shot in Thibodaux.

Notable people

* Eric Andolsek, professional football player for the Detroit Lions *

Charlton Beattie Charlton Reid Beattie (April 22, 1869 – August 23, 1925) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was the son of Confederate Army officer, judge, and Republican Party polit ...

, U.S. federal judge; practiced law in Thibodaux * Rezin Bowie, Louisiana politician and inventor of the Bowie knife; resided six years on Acadia Plantation near Thibodaux *

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Wes ...

, Confederate general, slave-owner and planter on Bayou Lafourche in 1856-1861 *

Adrian Joseph Caillouet Adrian Joseph Caillouet (February 19, 1883 – December 19, 1946) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Education and career Born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Caillouet receiv ...

, U.S. federal judge * Kody Chamberlain, comic book writer and artist * Thomas G. Clausen, professor at Nicholls State University from 1967 to 1972; last elected state superintendent of education, 1984-1988 * Mark Davis, professional basketball player *

Ronald Dominique Ronald Joseph Dominique (born January 9, 1964), known as The Bayou Strangler, is an American serial killer and rapist who murdered at least 23 men and boys in the state of Louisiana between 1997 and 2006. On September 23, 2008, Dominique was f ...

, serial killer *

Alan Faneca Alan Joseph Faneca (; born December 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned ...

, American football offensive lineman, nine-time Pro-Bowler, Super Bowl champion ( XL) *

Jeremy Gaubert Jeremy Gaubert (born August 18, 1983) is an American professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2009 World Poker Open. He is also a co-founder of mttbacking.com, a site dedicated to backing online poker players. Poker accomplis ...

, winner of 2009 World Poker Open * Mary Gauthier, folk singer-songwriter; grew up in Thibodaux * Jarvis Green, defensive end for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

* Walter Guion, U.S. senator from Louisiana * Damian Johnson, player for the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big T ...

men's basketball team *

Clay Knobloch Henry Clay Knobloch, also spelled Knoblock, (November 25, 1839 – May 19, 1903) was the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1885 to 1889 serving under Governor Samuel D. McEnery. Early life and Civil War Knobloch was from Thibodaux, Loui ...

, former

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana The lieutenant governor of Louisiana (french: Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane) is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissio ...

Louis La Garde Louis Anatole La Garde (April 15, 1849 – March 7, 1920), was a Colonel in the U. S. Army Medical Corps. He was born in Thibodaux, Louisiana and was the son of Justin de La Garde and Aurelia Daspit, both members of colonial French families. E ...

, soldier, medical doctor and author * Theodore K. Lawless, dermatologist, medical researcher, and philanthropist *

Oliver Marcelle Oliver Marcell (June 21, 1895 – June 12, 1949), nicknamed "Ghost", was an American third baseman in the Negro leagues for a number of teams around the league from 1918-1931. He also played shortstop. A Creole born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, h ...

, baseball player * Graham Patrick Martin, actor TV: ''Major Crimes, The Closer, Two and a Half Men; Movies: The Anna Nicole Story, Bukowski, Somewhere Slow'' * Whitmell P. Martin, congressman from Louisiana; moved to Thibodaux * Jordan Mills, football player * Numa F. Montet, congressman from Louisiana * Doug Moreau, football player *

Drake Nevis Drake M. Nevis (born May 8, 1989) is a professional Canadian football defensive tackle for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won the 107th Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019. Nevis was selected in the th ...

, football player * Francis T. Nicholls, Confederate brigadier general, two-term governor of Louisiana, and Louisiana Supreme Court justice; moved to Ridgefield Plantation near Thibodaux *

Harvey Peltier, Jr. Harvey Andrew Peltier Jr. (January 18, 1923 – December 5, 1980), was from 1964 to 1976 a member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 21, which included Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in South Louisiana. He served alongside Claude B. ...

, state senator from 1964 to 1976; first president of the University of Louisiana System trustees from 1975 until his death in 1980 *

Harvey Peltier, Sr. Harvey Andrew Peltier Sr. (October 20, 1899 – November 12, 1977), was an attorney, banker, businessman, sugar grower, oilman, champion horse breeder, and politician from Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a campaign manager of Governor and U.S. ...

, member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from Thibodaux, 1924-1940 * Jerome "Dee" Richard, former member of the

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 ...

from Thibodaux; one of two Independents in the legislature * John Robichaux, jazz musician * Greg Robinson,

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

* Junius P. Rodriguez, academic and author *

Tom Roussel Thomas James Roussel (born January 20, 1945) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at The Unive ...

, football player *

Dustin Schuetter Dustin Schuetter (born May 14, 1984) is an American actor, producer, director and screenwriter. Career Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Dustin found work with Emmy-nominated Director Gil Junger, who directed the film 10 Things I Hate Ab ...

, actor, producer, director and screenwriter *

Billy Tauzin Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II (; born June 14, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician. He was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group. Tauzin was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1980 to ...

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivale ...

who lived in Thibodaux while he was in office Barone, Michael; and Ujifusa, Grant. ''

The Almanac of American Politics ''The Almanac of American Politics'' is a reference work published biennially by Columbia Books & Information Services. It aims to provide a detailed look at the politics of the United States through an approach of profiling individual leaders and ...

1988', p. 494. ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes d ...

'', 1987. * Theodore Ward, noted African-American playwright *

Edward Douglass White Edward Douglass White Jr. (November 3, 1844 – May 19, 1921) was an American politician and jurist from Louisiana. White was a Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court justice for 27 years, first as an Associate Justice of the Sup ...

, Associate Justice and later Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court *

Edward Douglass White Sr. Edward Douglass White (March 3, 1795 – April 18, 1847) was List of Governors of Louisiana, tenth Governor of Louisiana and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served five non-consecutive terms in Congress, as an adheren ...

, governor of Louisiana * Richard D'Alton Williams, Irish patriot, poet, and "Shamrock" of the ''

Nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

''.

References

External links

City of ThibodauxThibodaux Chamber of Commerce website
{{authority control Cities in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Cities in Louisiana Parish seats in Louisiana Cities in the Houma – Thibodaux metropolitan area