E. D. Estilette

Edmond Ducre Estilette, known as E. D. Estilette (December 19, 1833 – November 7, 1919), was a politician and lawyer in Opelousas, Louisiana. He served in a number of public positions, most notably speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives at the end of Reconstruction in 1875. Estilette oversaw the creation of one of the most infamous Black Codes of the post-Civil War era, but he was later seen as a moderating force in the turbulent politics of that era.

Early life

Estilette was born in what is now Lake Arthur, Louisiana to a family of French origin who later moved to Opelousas. His parents were not wealthy, but his godfather was William Wikoff, one of the richest cattle ranchers in the United States at the time, and Wikoff's funds allowed Estilette to get an education. He attended St. Charles College in nearby Grand Coteau and then Yale University, where he studied law and was a member of the Class of 1857 and a member of Linonia. At Yale, he met and married a Connecticut woman, Fannie Thompson Bacon, a descendant of Jabez Bacon. In 1860, he was admitted to the bar in St. Landry Parish.

After the emancipation of slaves, in Louisiana and elsewhere, many local governments passed new Black Codes aimed at keeping newly freed African Americans in as close to a state of slavery as possible. Opelousas, under Estilette, achieved national notoriety for passing one of the most strict, including these provisions:

Other provisions banned Blacks from holding public meetings, preaching to a church congregation, carrying firearms, selling goods, or being in the town after 3 p.m. on Sundays, though exceptions to some rules could be made with the permission of the mayor, an employer, or Estilette.

Opelousas' Black Code became notorious in the North when it was included in Carl Schurz's report to President Andrew Johnson on conditions in the newly reconquered South. As the Chicago Tribune described it: "The negro is not only not permitted to be idle, but he is prohibited from working or carrying on a business for himself; he is compelled to be in the 'regular service' of a white man, and if he has no employer he is compelled to find one. It requires only a simple understanding among the employers and the negro is as bound to his 'employer' for better and for worse as when slavery existed in the old form." The Opelousas ordinance was copied by other towns and parishes in the state and elsewhere; 70 years later, W. E. B. Du Bois referred to it as "the celebrated ordinance of Opelousas, Louisiana."

State politics

In 1865, he was appointed by Governor James Madison Wells as district attorney for St. Landry, Lafayette, Vermilion, and Calcasieu parishes, a position to which he was elected the next year and served until 1868. In 1874, when two rival legislatures were formed by supporters of Democrat John McEnery and Republican William Pitt Kellogg, Estilette first joined the McEnery "People's House" but then switched to the recognized Kellogg House, much to the chagrin of the Democratic press.

Still, Estilette was the rare Louisiana politician of the period who won praise from both sides of the aisle, as well as votes from both African Americans and whites. At the end of the first 1874 session of the legislature, the New Orleans Republican said he had "made a record which he can point to with pride...The General Assembly needs more men of his character and talent, no matter what their politics may be, and we hope his constituents will take this into consideration." A few days later, the Democratic The Times-Picayune wrote that, "without approving the course of those Fusion members of the Legislature who entered the Kellogg body," Estilette had introduced "bills having in view the general interests of the State and less objectionable in character...He has been earnest in the advocacy of what he believed to be right and in opposing what he deemed to be prejudicial to Louisiana. He has not participated in any of the corrupt business of the session, but acted conscientiously and sincerely."

Opposition to the White League

A few weeks later, back in St. Landry Parish, white Democrats began to form the White League, a paramilitary terror group that overthrew several parish governments and, for several days, Louisiana's state government. Among their proposals was for white business owners to starve African Americans out of the area by eliminating all Black employment, even in the cotton fields: "The negroes must not only be excluded from clerkships in white stores, but they must not be allowed to trade there in any manner — to buy or sell. They must be driven from the cabins and decks of steamers, and from serving in hotels, and from all such employment generally. They must not be allowed to drive drays, wagons, carriages or carts...Above all let negroes be driven out of our fields and the whites driven in."

But Estilette resisted the White League's demands. Along with his former law partner John E. King and several prominent planters, he called for a public debate with White League leaders. Their opposition was based on economic, not racial grounds, arguing that the White League "would be in conflict with the public policy of the country, and prejudicial and detrimental to the agricultural interests of the parish of St. Landry." The debate was set for July 4, and Estilette was the first speaker. The local White League paper reported that Estilette had "made a Republican speech throughout, though claiming to be a Democrat." After the debate, the White League lowered their tone and claimed to be a friend to all.

In November, he was reelected to the seat. Of the 15 Democrats who had switched from the McEnery "People's House" to the Kellogg legislature, Estilette was the only one to be reelected.

Wheeler Compromise and speakership

Louisiana politics were still extremely volatile, with white Democrats using violence and intimidation to block the election and seating of Republican officials. When the new House of Representatives met on January 4, 1875, Republicans held a two-seat majority, but with the winners of five additional disputed seats to be voted on by the House itself. But at the start of the session, Democrat Louis A. Wiltz physically seized the speaker's chair and called for a voice vote to name him "temporary chairman" on the House, a position that did not exist. Based on the shouted votes of the members, Wiltz declared himself elected and quickly called for votes to seat Democrats in the five disputed seats, giving the party a "majority" of sorts. Democrats boycotted the organization of the state Senate, where they were not close to a majority.

Confusion reigned, with both parties claiming control of the House. A deal, called the Wheeler Compromise, was negotiated by Congressman William A. Wheeler, which in effect gave the disputed House seats to the Democrats in exchange for a promise not to impeach or otherwise try to remove Kellogg as governor. The Democratic House pledged that "henceforth we will accord to said Governor all necessary and legitimate support in maintaining the laws and in advancing the peace and prosperity of the people of this State."

When the House finally assembled to elect a speaker, the two leading candidates were Wiltz — who had opposed the Wheeler deal at every step and wanted keep up the attack on Kellogg — and Estilette, who had the support of more moderate Democrats, as well as the chamber's Republicans. Before the vote, the pro-Wiltz and pro-White League New Orleans Bulletin reported Wiltz had a lead of roughly 20 votes. But the House gave Estilette an easy victory, outvoting Wiltz 66 to 37.

As speaker, Estilette went back on one key commitment of the Wheeler Compromise. On February 28, 1876, Estilette allowed the Democratic House to vote on impeachment charges against Kellogg. The charges were comical — Democrats did not even bother to list any specific accusations, instead voting on a resolution declaring Kellogg's general impeachment-worthiness, in their view — but they did pass the House under Estilette's leadership. The Senate convened on the same day to preemptively reject any possible charges, rendering the issue moot.

Later life

Estilette was discussed as a potential candidate for governor in 1876, but Democrats instead chose Francis T. Nicholls, another relative moderate within the party, over Wiltz and McEnery. Estilette did not seek renomination for his state House seat, opting instead to pursue a seat in Congress. But the split among St. Landry Democrats meant he didn't win the nomination, leaving him out of public office after two years as House speaker.

Thanks to a new wave of violence on the part of white Democrats and the Compromise of 1877, Nicholls became governor, becoming the first Democrat in the office since the Civil War and ending Reconstruction in Louisiana. But a new state constitution cut Nicholls' term short and he was succeeded by the more extreme Wiltz. When Nicholls ran again in 1884, it was Estilette who put his name in nomination. One of his daughters with Gray, Louise Estilette Perrodin, became a prominent leader in the Church of God in Christ in California. He died in 1919.