Irion, Valentine King

Submitted by Mike Miller

Irion, Valentine King--New Orleans, La.,--Was born at Marksville, Avoyelles parish, La., July 31, 1862; son of Judge Alfred Briggs and Caroline (King) Irion, the former of whom was born Feb. 18, 1833, in the parish in which the birth of the son occurred, and the latter in 1836 at Opelousas, La. The founder of the Irion family in America was Phillip Jacob Irion, Jr. He came from Karlesruhe, Germany, where he served as secretary of commerce under Charles Frederic II, having resigned said office at the time he emigrated. His father, Phillip Jacob, Sr., had served the same Prince as Councellor of Commerce and Director of the Mines, Mints, and Manufactures, and a short time before his death (1754) he was created Councellor of the Chamber. Phillip Jacob Irion, Jr., settled in Culpepper county, Va., 1760, and there married Sarah Poindexter (1765), daughter of Justice John Poindexter and Christian (Anderson) Poindexter, of Louisa county, Va.; granddaughter of Thomas Poindexter, and great-granddaughter of George Poindexter, of Middle plantation, the founder of his family in America (1650). Phillip Jacob Irion and his wife, Sarah (Poindexter) Irion, had 7 sons, of whom George Anderson was the youngest. He married Rebecca Hunt, daughter of Elijah Hunt, who was a justice of Halifax county, Va., and sheriff of the same county at the time of his death (1797). He was the son of James Hunt, of Charlotte county, Va., and a nephew of Memucan Hunt. George Anderson Irion and Rebecca Hunt, his wife, had 3 children, of whom Robert Richardson Irion was the youngest. He was born in Halifax county, Va., 1808. He came to Louisiana with his parents in 1814, and settled at Cheneyville, and later, with his father, opened up the old Irion plantation, where the thriving little town of Bunkie is now located. The spot was then an unbroken wilderness, but at the time of the Civil war was one of the finest sugar estates in Middle Louisiana. Robert Richard Irion married Ann Audebert, daughter of John Audebert and Henrietta Polhill, who came to Louisiana from Georgia in 1814. John Audebert was the son of John Hiram Audebert, a Huguenot and member of the Charleston colony, and Henrietta Polhill was a daughter of Maj. Thomas Polhill, of Burke county, Ga., and granddaughter of Rev. Nathaniel Polhill of Savannah, Ga., and Bedfordshire, England, the founder of his family in America. Robert Richardson Irion and Ann Audebert, his wife, had 4 sons and a daughter, of whom Judge A. B. Irion was the eldest. Alfred Briggs Irion married Caroline King (1858), daughter of Valentine King and Nancy King, and granddaughter of Gen. John Edwards King and Sallie Clifton; and great-granddaughter of William King and Elizabeth Edwards, of Virginia; also, a great-great-granddaughter of Richard Bland of Virginia. Her grandmother, Letitia Bland, was a sister of Theodoric Bland, "The Cato of the Revolution." Ancestors who participated in the Revolution: Phillip Jacob Irion, Elijah Hunt, John Audebert, Thomas Polhill, John Edwards King, William King, and Richard Bland. Gen. John Edwards King and William King, who were brothers, served under Gen. Shelby during the Revolution. Both were present and fought in the Battle of King's Mountain. Gen. John Edwards King commanded the Kentucky troops during the War of 1812. Judge George King of St. Landry parish (formerly of Kentucky) served under Gen. Wayne in his campaign against the Indians in 1794, and was lieutenant of a company of volunteers at the Battle of New Orleans, 1815. He was appointed judge of the Attakapas district by Gov. Claiborne, and served in that capacity for 30 years. He was the father of Nancy King, who was the mother of Caroline (King) Irion. He was also the father of George R. King, who was an associate justice of the supreme court of Louisiana, and grandfather of Judge John E. King of Opelousas, La., a distinguished lawyer and scholar. George Anderson Irion was an officer in the War of 1812, having risen from the ranks to the commission of major for bravery and general gallantry in the service. Maj. Thomas Polhill (Ga.) was also an officer in the War of 1812. Judge Alfred Briggs Irion served under Gen. Richard Taylor in the Civil war. He was attached to Randal's Tex. cavalry brigade--Walker's division--and participated in the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. His 2 brothers, George and Charles, were in active service. He was elected to the legislature from Avoyelles parish in 1864, and left the army to perform the duties of that office. He opposed secession with all the energy and ability he could exert, but surrendered gracefully to the will of the majority, and cast his lot with his native state. He was a member of the constitutional convention of 1879. He was created a circuit judge by that body, and was subsequently elected to the 49th Congress from the 6th congressional district of Louisiana. He was author of the act donating the old Federal garrison at Baton Rouge to the Louisiana State university, being the site where that institution now stands. Judge Alfred Briggs Irion died at New Orleans in 1903. Valentine King Irion, the subject of this sketch, received his earlier education in the common schools of Avoyelles parish, following which he attended Louisiana State university and graduated from that institution in 1884. The succeeding 2 years were spent in travel and study in Europe, and upon his return to America he entered the College of Dentistry, University of Maryland, completing his professional studies in the class of 1887. Shortly following, he opened offices at Opelousas, La., and began the practice of dentistry, so continuing until 1897, when he removed to New Orleans, in which city he has since practiced. He is a member of the Louisiana State Dental society and the Odontological society. Dr. Irion is a progressive Democrat, and has been honored with the positions of superintendent of public instruction for the parish of St. Landry, and member board of administrators of the state normal school at Natchitoches, La. He is at this time secretary and treasurer of the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry. He was the organizer and president of the "White Supremacy league," of St. Landry (1896), which declared for the ''elimination of the Negro from politics--peaceably, if possible, but forcibly, if necessary;" and brought about the constitutional convention of 1898, called for the purpose, accomplishing the league's aims by legal means. He was a charter member, and one of the organizers of the N. O. Progressive Union, and remained an active member until it was reorganized (1912) and the name changed to Association of Commerce. He is a "Son of the American Revolution," and "Son of Confederate Veteran." Sept. 18, 1889, Dr. Irion was married to Miss Helen Lastrapes, daughter of Leonce F. and Mary (King) Lastrapes, of Opelousas, La. Four children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Irion, these being: Mary Caroline, Alfred King, Alice, and Albert Moore. It is claimed that every one of Dr. Irion's antecedents, both paternal and maternal, antedate the Revolution in this country--in other words, not a drop of foreign blood has been injected into the family since the Revolution.

Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 217-218. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.