The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-11-07
HON. MICHAEL HAHN.
BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.

BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
| Michael Hahn was born in Bavaria on the
Rhine on the 9th November 1880, and has
resided in Louisiana since he was ten years Of
are When he was yet quite an infant his
widowed mother with five children came to
| the United States staying a short time III New
| York and Texas, AMI settling i'll New Orleans
about 1910. she died i'll the yellow fever
epidemic OF 1871. Young Hahr attended the
public schools and graduated in the thigh
| School of the Second Municipality. He coG-
tracted an early taste for writing short articles
| for the press, taste winch has followed MN
| throughout his lie. lie was soon entrusted
with the care and agency oi real estate by
| relatives auu Others and thus earned his own
livelihood while sudyiug law
At the aye OF about nineteen years he en-
tered the law office OF Hon. Christian lioscius,
then the most distinguished lawyer ut our bar,
who had been Attorney General of this State
| and was then Professor Of Civ.l Law in the
| University of louisiana Besides attending
to office business Hahn followed two courses
OF Lectures i'll the law Department OF the
| University and graduated on the Ith Ut April
| 1851, receiving the degree of Il. H. b. This
| diploma admitted him to practice in all the
| Courts of this State. lie Immediately entered
on the practice of the law, soon blending with
it the duties Of Notary Public, receiving his
first commission as Notary on the Ith Novein
Der 1854.
| When but twenty-five years of age he was
elected a school director and served on the
| committee on teachers with such men as
I Rawle, Jennings ana BonfOrd. He no
| the school Board OF the city several times, and
at one time President of the Board and er-
| O6iciO chairman OF tie committee ON Teachers
and High schools.
In politics he was an auti-Shdell democrat
I supporting Stephen a. DUugl Tor president
He was Il member of the Douglas state Com
mitlee. After the disruption OF the Charleston
| Convention u large Union mass meeting was
| held at Lafayette square, May 8, 1860, at
d, which Hahn made strong Union speech and
| offered the resolution adopted by the meeting
! During the secession excitement Hahn was
a member Of the committee opposed to seces
! sion. When the Legislative authorities re-
quired all officers of the State, in 1861, to take
"a new oath of office including pledge to be
! faithful "tO the constitution and laws OF the
| Confederate States he peremptorily refused
to take that oath. On the arrival OF FtrraSut
anu Butler, Hahn was prominent in forming
| Union Associate IS, ana reported COnstitP
ton Tor such associations june :, 1862.
On the 3rd Of December 1862 there was an
election for Congress in the two districts then
entirely within the Federal lines, and Hahn
after 4 candidacy OF but few days, was
elected in the Second District, receiving more
votes than his three competitors Durell
Grcathuuse and Jacob Barker together. He
was not admitted to his seat until the l7th
! February 1863 During his short stay in Con
glcss he voted for all tho warMeasurcs Of
! President Lincoln and became an intimate
| friend OF that great man, March q, S63, he
obtained permission from the President to
visit the Union military prisons TO see LOUISE
ana prisoners.
= During the year 1868 he was appointed and
| acted us Prize Commissioner at New Orleans
| lie was appointed by Gen. Banks commits
SIuner to quidate the affairs OF the Bank Of
| Louisiana, to- ether with TWO Other commits
| aiOngrs, but, On his recUmlnt ndatluu the lp-
] V-itIp
allowed to settle its own business. Daring
| this year he made number Of apecches IN
favor OF Linrolns policy 10 rc establish Loyal
state government; ANA III a speech at LJccum
! Hail, Ii November, 1868, he advocated the
| abolition OF slavery in the Whole state.
On tho LIST OF January 1856. he took charge
| It's owner and editor OF the New Orleans Daily
| True Delta; and under his management this
was the first paper owned by Lomslani al
| which advocated the auuiJun OF slavery
| On tile reconstruction Of the State Govern
ment on Il l.Aod basis. - February 1864! ne
was elected the ii st free StuEe Governor, and
was induct d into office on.the lth OF Au.c oh
| following, with the glandt st cere monies ID,
ever attend sucn an vent. On the 10TH ~
the same month President Lincoln invested
him with tue additional powers o. d Military
Governor.
A Constitutional Convention was elected,
and submitted Constitution wAlcd Wds
ratified. A Legislature was elected. which III
January SO elected Hahn to the u S Senate
for six years. On the 9Th OF February he
resigned the office Of Governor u take effect
on the 4th March iS01. lie never pressed his
claim to seat in the Senate because he al-
proved of the Reconstruction measures which
Weya then being ls.ttuiVd.
On the 4th OF July 1863 lie made "a speech at
the Emancipation celebration in Washington;
| and few months later m;lue SlUccu before
! the Equal Suffrage Association OF Washington
which was published in pamphlet form and
| gnn a no a n
at the Mechanics Institute, New Orleans,
| July 80 1900 Hahn, though but a.speCtator
at the Convention, was severely wounded.
As soon rs He mud recovered suii iently he
! went to the West and made Il number Of
| speeches against Andrew JOhnsou's my
| policy" One OF these speeches 0e ivered ut
| Des AlOiues 26 August 1876, Was published by
| order Of the state Republican Committee ami
was generally circulated IN tuc memorable
| Congressional campaign "a that year.
In 1867 he formed a Cu-partherShlp tand
| Afterwards a corpolatiun) for the publication
OF the New Orleans Daily HepUbtican,ot which
| paper he continued tu be The manager and
editor until 1871, with eminent success. lie
was appoint, d an Administrator OF the Charity
Hospital at New Orleans.
On quitting editorial life he went to his sugar
plantatlon in ST. halles Parish. He laid out
and built the pretty ami thriving village OF
| uahnvile. He WIS made IA school Director
Gf ST. Charles Parish, and in 1872 was elected
| 10 lNc Legislature. III NAY tof &, ilG ttNtA
as President of iho Louisiana State Eduea-
tional Convention during its three days ses-
sion. He was elected to the Legislature three
success i've toins III 1872, ana &, generally
without opposition. He served MS Chairman
Of the Committee on the Judiciary and a
short time speaker.
On the 18th oi august SIC he was appointed
STATE Registrar o Voters, and although much
discussion ,ooN place concerning tIc rcsu-
larity Of the election Oh that veal, tVll poe
teal parties approved MS vOnuUo, Throughout
On the 9Th OF November lSl 8 he was unaui-
mously eiUoted Il PohU- Juror fer mis- Parish
ana served as ChairmaA ul IN. Finance Com
mite. Ia the same year, June %, he had
been appointed by tic President as SUPER
iRrendenJ of the L. S. Mint at New Orleans
an office he held until the / january 1879, and
in which lie succeeded in getting the city an
thorities to give the United states a gust claim
To tue square on which the miut is located
During tue epidemic of 1878 lac remained al
his post and was busy in relieving the distress
caused the eptiem'e.
In November 1879 nc was elected, by alHast
a unanimous vote, Judge al the District c,Au
posed Of the Parishes oi JeitcI son, st Chaiiey
| nm T,,l,Y