Henry S. Thibodaux

Henry Schuyler Thibodaux (1769 – October 24, 1827) was a politician who served as the interim governor of Louisiana from November until December 1824. After Governor Thomas Robertson resigned to become a federal judge, Thibodaux as the President of the Louisiana Senate assumed office as the fourth governor of the state.

Early life Henry Thibodaux was born in 1769 in Albany, New York to Anna Blanchard Thibodaux and Alexis Thibodaux, both Acadian exiles. He was orphaned at a young age and adopted by General Philip Schuyler, an American Revolutionary War hero. Thibodaux spent his childhood in the United States and is believed to have been sent to Scotland for his education.

Marriage and family Thibodaux was married twice, first to a Cajun woman, Félicité Bonvillain, with whom he had three children. After her death in 1799, he married Brigitte Belanger of Pointe Coupee on June 3, 1800. He had seven children with Brigitte, among the sons was Bannon Goforth Thibodeaux, who was elected as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1840s.

Thibodaux served as a State Senator for twelve years representing Lafourche Parish and was elected as President of the Senate in 1824. When Governor Thomas B. Robertson resigned to accept an appointment as a federal judge, Thibodaux automatically succeeded him, serving as acting governor for one month. He stepped down after Henry Johnson was elected governor in 1824.

Thibodaux was campaigning for the 1828 gubernatorial election when he died on October 24, 1827, while touring near Bayou Terrebonne. He was interred at St. Bridget Catholic Cemetery in Schriver, Louisiana.

Legacy and honors The city of Thibodaux, Louisiana, was named for him.