William J. Minor

Captain William J. Minor (January 27, 1808 – September 18, 1869) was an American planter, enslaver, and banker in the antebellum Southern United States. Educated in Philadelphia, he lived at the Concord plantation in Natchez, Mississippi, and served as the second President of the Agricultural Bank. He was the owner of three large sugar plantations in Louisiana and supported the Union during the Civil War for the stability of the sugar trade.

Early life Minor was born on January 27, 1808, in Natchez, Mississippi. His father was Stephen Minor (1760–1844), a planter and banker, and his mother, Katherine (Lintot) Minor (1770–1844).

Minor was educated in Philadelphia in the 1820s. He learned Latin, French, and English with a private tutor. He read De Bow's Review and kept a diary.

Politically, he was a supporter of the Whig Party. Meanwhile, U.S. Army troops seized sugar and molasses from Minor's Hollywood and Southdown plantations, under the pretext that it had been deserted, even though overseers and servants were there. Minor served as the Secretary of the Natchez Jockey Club. Minor visited Jerome Park Racetrack in 1866, while it was under construction.

Minor was also a regular contributor to The Turf, Field and Farm, an equestrian publication.

Death Minor died of apoplexy on September 18, 1869, at the Southdown Plantation near Houma. Minor was buried at Concord in Natchez, Mississippi.

His obituary was published in The Turf, Field and Farm. It was republished in The Louisiana Democrat.