Tobin, John Francis

Submitted by Mike Miller

Tobin, John Francis, a well-known lawyer of New Orleans, was born in that city on June 17, 1871; a son of the late Capt. John W. Tobin and Mary Frances Scott; of English Scotch-Irish ancestry, highly connected and closely identified with the colonial and revolutionary history of this country. Mr. Tobin is essentially an American. His father's family originally came from England and -Ireland and settled in South Carolina and Georgia, when these were colonies of England, and their families were prominent in the wars and in the affairs of those colonies. His mother's family came from England and Scotland and settled in Virginia in the early days of that colony. The names of Col. Daniel Smith, his son, Judge Daniel Smith, and also Col. John Baytop Scott, all of Virginia and of colonial and revolutionary fame, were maternal ancestors of John F. Tobin. The previous history of the Scott family reads like a romance, and is closely interwoven with Scottish history. The Smith family in Virginia was founded in 1740; many of its sons won laurels and its daughters were fair. In the Scott family, Col. John B. Scott, the great-grandfather of John F. Tobin, won fame for bravery, was brevetted on the field of battle and presented with a sword by the dashing Count Pulaski, in 1781. Col. John B. Scott was the close friend of Gen. Washington, under whom he continuously served; later, when the Society of the Cincinnati was formed by Gen. Washington, Col. John B. Scott was a charter member of that society. Col. Scott was likewise the close personal friend of Presidents Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, his wife, who was said to be very beautiful, being upon intimate terms of friendship with the wives of those presidents. Mr. Tobin is in possession of a book entitled ''Monroe's Views," presented by James Monroe to his friend, John B. Scott. Col. Scott was commissioned in the regular army by Pres. Jefferson and was civil and military governor of the district of Cape Girardeau, Mo., then part of Louisiana, in 1805, and he was afterwards commissioned United States judge of the Louisiana territory, but resigned. His son, Christopher C. Scott, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Tobin, was likewise prominent in the history of this country. Both he and his distinguished father were judges and lawyers of high rank. Judge C. C. Scott was for many years one of the judges of the supreme court of Arkansas, just prior to the Civil war. In the Smith family there were many lawyers, Judge Daniel Smith, the great maternal grandfather, having been for 30 years judge of the Special Court of Appeals of Virginia, in Rockingham county. Mr. Tobin received his early education in private schools, from which he entered Tulane university of Louisiana, graduating in 1891, with the degree of A. B. Later he took up the study of law, attended the Tulane law school and graduated in 1894, with the degree of LL. B. Since leaving the university he has been engaged in the practice of his profession at New Orleans, where he is well-known professionally and socially. A member of various legal, social, carnival and other associations and clubs, he has always been an untiring worker for the uplift and betterment of his fellow man. He is a member of the American and Louisiana Bar associations. For many years he was prominent and active in the New Orleans carnival and club life. He has been a member of the Boston club of New Orleans for over 20 years, was one of the charter members and an officer of the present Louisiana club, was once president of the Young Men's Gymnastic club, was the original prime mover and principal organizer of the Audubon Golf club and the Country club of New Orleans. Fraternally, he is a Shriner, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a Knight Templar, a Royal and Select Master Mason, and a Royal Arch Mason. Politically, he has always been a democrat, but has never held or sought office, except that of notary public. In church faith he is an ardent Protestant, a member of the Episcopal church. In 1904, he married Miss Eliska Paule Provosty, the beautiful daughter of Associate Justice Provosty, of the supreme court of Louisiana, and Miss Euphemie (Labatut) Provosty, which union has been blessed with 5 children: John William, Eliska Provosty, Mary Frances, Mary Louise Eugenie and John Francis Paul Tobin.

Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 433-434. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.