Da Ponte, Harry

Submitted by Mike Miller

Da Ponte, Harry, large lumber exporter, formerly interested in the Louisiana state lottery, one of the earliest members of the New Orleans cotton exchange, charter member of the Chess, Checkers & Whist club and the Orleans Rod & Gun club, was born in New Orleans, La., June 29, 1853; son of Durant and Sophia (Brook) Da Ponte. The father was the first editor, respectively, of the New Orleans Picayune and the Delta. He was born in New York City; came to New Orleans in 1840, and became a newspaper reporter. He reported the proceedings of the legislature of 1844-45 for one of the New Orleans newspapers. In 1882 he began operating in stocks and was successful. He retired several years prior to his death, which occurred in California in the year 1905.

Sophia Brook's father was one of the first cotton factors in New Orleans, and was engaged in this business during a number of years. The daughter was born in the East Indies in 1830, and came from that region to New Orleans with her father in 1832. To Durant and Sophia (Brook) Da Ponte 2 children were born, these being Lorenzo, deceased in 1905, a resident of New Orleans prior to death, and Harry Da Ponte, the subject of this sketch. Durant Da Ponte served in the Confederate army from beginning to end of the Civil war, as a staff officer under Gen. Van Dorn, and was one of the last men to leave Richmond. Harry Da Ponte received a high school education in the city of his birth, and when this had been completed, entered the service of the Slocum-Baldwin Hardware Co., where he remained 3 years, following which he was employed in the freight department of the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern R. R. for about 6 months.

He then went to Texas, in the year 1871, and was there engaged in the general produce business for a time, later becoming associated with the firm of B. L. Mann & Co. At the age of 20 years he became manager of the Dallas house, and conducted this until its failure some time later. At that time, in the year 1875, the famous Porferio Diaz was at the head of revolutionary forces in Mexico, and young Da Ponte established connection with these forces and was for some time engaged in smuggling arms and ammunition into Mexico and assisting in their delivery to the revolutionary forces. In connection with this hazardous service, he owned and operated a boat, called the Laura Lewis, on the Popontta river. In the course of this work he participated in many thrilling adventures and experienced several very narrow escapes, but had the good fortune to complete his undertakings and escape without injury, having, in addition to his more substantial reward, some satisfaction in the fact of having contributed somewhat to the success of Gen. Diaz in establishing stable government in Mexico. In 1885 he became a member of the New Orleans cotton exchange, at a time when that organization was very young. At this time, also, he was interested in the Louisiana State Lottery Co., and was in the real estate business. He laid out Rosa Park, one of the early residential suburbs of the city of New Orleans. After the lottery business had been terminated through state legislation, he became engaged in the timber export business, and has continued in that business to the present. Mr. Da Ponte was a charter member of the Chess, Checkers & Whist club, and also of the Orleans Rod & Gun club, and a member of the board of directors in the latter organization. In 1878 Mr. Da Ponte was married to Miss Gertrude Hay, of Houston, Tex. Mrs. Da Ponte died in 1907, leaving 4 children, viz.: Lorenzo, now an attorney at Tacoma, Wash.; Harry, Jr., with Adler Export Co., a resident of New Orleans; Ethel, wife of J. A. Steck, of Walhalla, S. C., and Agnes, wife of Frederick Beirne, of Paris, France. In 1910 Mr. Da Ponte was married to Miss Marcedes Alvarez, a daughter of Morlez y Alvarez.

Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 507-508. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.