1914 Biography - Leon Jastremski

Jastremski, Leon, was born 1843, in France, of Polish extraction. At the age of 5 years he came to the United States with his parents, who located in Lafayette parish, La., where his father practiced medicine, and died when his son, Leon, was about 13 years of age. Leon Jastremski gained a fair literary education, and was a youth when the war between the states came on. In that civil conflict, he served from the beginning to the close in the Confederate army, rising to the rank of captain. In 1865, Leon Jastremski engaged, with a brother, in the drug business at Baton Rouge. He took an active part for the next 10 years in overthrowing the republican regime in the public affairs of the state, and in 1876 he was elected, on the democratic ticket, mayor of Baton Rouge, and as such served for 8 years. In 1879, to assist the movement to restore the state capitol to Baton Rouge, where it had been before the Civil war, Leon Jastremski established in Baton Rouge a newspaper, and thus began what was to be a long and successful career as a journalist. He held several prominent positions, among which were the following: Commissioner of agriculture, private secretary to Gov. Heard, United States consul general to Callao, Peru, and brigadier-general of the Louisiana state militia. He also served as a member of the state constitutional convention of 1879, and for 8 years as state printer. For several years Gen. Jastremski served as chairman of the Democratic state central committee. He was twice a candidate for the high office of governor of Louisiana, and died in 1911, during his second candidacy, just before the primary election. For 20 years he was president of the Louisiana State Press association, and he was also elected commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Veterans, of Louisiana. He was a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and was elected Grand Chancellor Commander of the order in Louisiana. Gen. Jastremski married Rosa Largmer, who was born in Baton Rouge. Of their 2 surviving children the eldest, Eugene, is secretary of the state board of agriculture, and Henry is secretary of the state R. R. commission.

Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from Louisiana: Comprising Sketches, edited by Alcee Fortier, published in 1914, volume 3, pages 222-223.