Tupper, Allen

Submitted by Mike Miller

Tupper, Allen, son of Tristram Tupper, was born in Charleston, S. C., June 5, In 1862, during the bombardment of Charleston, the family moved to Williamston, S. C., and 1866 moved to New Orleans, where the young son Allen spent his youth. He attended a private school and then the university high school established by George C. Prevot and Mr. Venables. He left school in 1876, at the age of 15, and in 1877 went to work in New Orleans for the Atlantic Coast Line R. R. The same year he became a member of Co. K, 2nd regiment Louisiana state militia, of which Euclid Borland was colonel. He was also a member of Nicholls Rifles, C. M. Whitney, captain, attached to Crescent regiment, Col. Vaudry in command. Mr. Tupper held various positions up to 1880 when he became bookkeeper and cashier for J. O. Terry & Sons, in the lumber and sawmill business. He remained in this position until 1884, and in 1885 went with the Barber Asphalt Paving Co. In 1886, he became a member of the firm of Tupper Bros., with offices at 713 Union street. In 1901, Mr. Tupper succeeded to this business under the name of Allen Tupper. He remained at 713 Union street until 1909, when be purchased the property and moved to 625-27 S. Peters street, where the business is still carried on. During the anti-lottery fight of 1892-94 he was vice-president from the 4th precinct, 11 the ward, of the Anti-Lottery League, and took an active part in the campaign under the leadership of Gov. Francis T. Nicholls and Gov. Foster. Having shown some interest in the mechanical and agricultural education of the negroes, Gov. Foster appointed him on the board of the Southern university, on which he served with Mr. J. H. O'Connor, Hon. Frank L. Richardson and others for 6 years, declining reappointment under Gov. Heard. Mr. Tupper is a member of the Association of Commerce, the Board of Trade, the Contractors & Dealers' Exchange, and for several terms on the board of directors of the latter organization. He is a member of the Boston club, the Country club and has been a member of the Pickwick club, the Louisiana club, the Chess, Checkers & Whist club, the Audubon Golf club and the Young Men's Democratic club. He belongs to the Good Government League. In politics, he is a democrat with independent tendencies. In Dec., 1895, Mr. Tupper married Mary Whitmel, daughter of Dr. W. H. Ballard, a retired physician and planter of Ascension parish. They have no children.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 675-676. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.