Maginnis, Charles Benjamin

Submitted by Mike Miller

Maginnis, Charles Benjamin, well-known sugar factor, of New Orleans, is the son of Charles Benjamin and Susan Kar (Bush) Maginnis, and was born in the city of New Orleans, Nov. 14, 1885. Charles B. Maginnis, Sr., was born at Ocean Springs, Miss., where the family had a summer residence in addition to their New Orleans residence. The principal business of Mr. Maginnis was that of a sugar planter, but he was also interested in other industrial enterprises, notable among which may be named the Lafayette Warehouse Co., the Maginnis cotton mills, Maginnis oil soap works, A. A. Maginnis Land Co., Ltd., Planters Fertilizer & Manufacturing Co., Maginnis Land and Improvement Co. Susan Kar Bush was born on Laurel Valley plantation near Thibodaux, and was the daughter of Cot. Louis Bush. Charles B. Maginnis, Jr., passed the first 9 years of his life in New Orleans, where he attended a private school. From 9 to 20 years of age his time was spent partly on the plantation and partly in traveling about the country. At the latter age he went to an academy at Worcester, Mass., where he remained 2 years. He then went to work for Le Bourgeois & Bush, sugar brokers, with which firm he was connected about 1 year, and then went into business for himself under the firm name of Maginnis Bros. & Drewes, as sugar factors. In this they have been successful. Mr. Maginnis has formed a corporation known as the West India Sugar Co. to import Cuban blackstrap molasses. He is connected with the Lafayette warehouse in New Orleans, the American Land and Securities Co., the Sunrise Oil and Development Co., and is interested in several other enterprises. He is a member of the Boston, Pickwick, Stratford, Country, New Orleans Lawn Tennis, Audubon Golf, Young Men's Gymnastic, Delta Duck, City Park Gun, and the Audubon Polo clubs, besides most of the carnival organizations.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 547-548. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.