Brittin, Abraham Washington

Submitted by Mike Miller September 2000

Abraham Brittin. A New Orleans cotton merchant from the close of the Civil war and three times president of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. Abraham Brittin has impressed his services and influence almost equally in the financial history of the City of New Orleans, particularly in solving the problems of modern municipal improvement.

He was born at Washington, Arkansas, May 30, 1841, son of Edwin and Rosina (Block) Brittin. His father was a grandson of two Revolutionary soldiers. Edwin Brittin died during the child hood of his son Abraham, and in February, 1853, the mother moved with her family to New Orleans. Abraham Brittin from the age of twelve was educated in that city, attending the Laurel Public School and subsequently the Boy's Industrial High School of the Fourth District of New Orleans, where he graduated valedictorian of his class in 1858. From 1859 until the outbreak of the war he clerked with the old cotton firm of Heald, Massie & Company, and in that brief time attracted such attention that he had no difficulty in forming business associations after the war.

As a Confederate soldier he was a member of Twiggs Guard, Company C of the Crescent Regiment, and afterwards of a battery of Finners Artillery. After the war he became the junior partner of the firm of Block & Brittin, wholesale grocers, and later established the cotton firm of Brittin & Bright, which was succeeded by A. Brittin & Company, cotton merchants. This firm of New Orleans cotton factors and merchants became known not only throughout the South, but in foreign cotton markets. It was his prominence as a cotton merchant that brought Mr. Brittin the honor of being three times elected president of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. He has also been a director of the Equitable Life Association of New York for nearly twenty years, and director of the Hibernia Bank & Trust Company of New Orleans since its organization. He is president of the Howard Memorial Library and a director of the Tulane University educational fund.

It was the influence he was able to command and his reputation for financial ability that enabled him to perform his chief public service. He was twice elected a member of the CityCouncil and for several years was president of the council and acting mayor. Mr. Brittin in 1896 was elected to the council on the Citizen's League ticket, and early distinguished himself by advocating a plan whereby the city rather than a private corporation should undertake the construction of a modern system of drainage, together with an adequate water supply and sewerage system, all concentrated under the control of a single board. This plan was discussed at a historic meeting in the mayor's office November 7, 1898, where Mr. Brittin made the proposition of a special tax not to exceed two and a half mills for sewerage and drainage. He was made chairman of the committee to draw up a definite plan for a system of public works, embracing the water supply, drainage and sewerage. The successful installation of these improvements under the plan has been admittedly the most significant incident in the municipal history of New Orleans in the first quarter of the present century. In connection with this work is due to say that the prominent attorney, E. H. Farrar, drew for the committee at the request of A. Brittin, both the legislation and bond acts without cost to the city. The public finances of New Orleans since 1880 have been controlled by the Board of Liquidation of the city debt, and in 1901 Mr. Brittin was elected a member of the board, and served on it for over twenty years.

Mr. Brittin's service has therefore been that of an expert financier and a student of municipal problems, and only those capable of understanding some of the abilities required for their solution appreciate the exceptional service he has thus given to the city. He never received a dollar of salary for any of his public work. For eight years he was a member of the State Board of Education, four years during the term of Governor Blanchard, and four years during the term of Governor Sanders. Mr. Brittin still maintains his business offices at 310 Baronne Street. His home is at 1448 Fourth Street. On June 27, 1872, he married at New Orleans Miss Emma Louise Shaw, member of a prominent New Orleans family. Of the four children born to their marriage the two surviving daughters are: Celeste May, widow of the late Fernand May, and Adele, wife of Dr. Allan C. Eustis.

NOTE: A signed photograph/painting accompanies this narrative in the referenced source.
A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 101-102, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.