Favrot, Leo M.

Submitted by Mike Miller

Leo M. Favrot. With offices in the Roumain Building, in the City of Baton Rouge, Mr. Favrot is now serving as field agent of the General Education Board, the headquarters of which are in New York City. He has done a splendid service in connection with educational affairs, not only in Louisiana, but also in other sections of the Union, and in his character and achievement has added new honors to a name that has been one of distinction in the history of Louisiana since the initial settlement of the French in this fine old commonwealth. Of the family history more specific data may be found in the personal sketch of Joseph St. Chair Favrot in other pages of this work, a repetition of the record being unnecessary in the present review.

Leo M. Favrot was born in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, August 31, 1874, and is a son of Col. Henry M. Favrot, who was born in that parish in the year 1824, and whose death occurred April 15 1887, as the result of a paralytic stroke he received while attending a meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana, of which board he was an honored and valued member. Colonel Favrot attended college at Lexington, Kentucky, and thereafter prepared himself for the legal profession, of which he became one of the distinguished representatives in Louisiana. He long controlled a large and important law business in East and West Baton Rouge parishes, was influential in political and general public affairs, and was a close personal friend of the late Governor Henry Watkins Allen. The Colonel entered the Service of the Confederacy at the inception of the Civil war, became captain of the Delta Rifles, and eventually was promoted to the rank of colonel, his service having continued until the close of the war. Colonel Favrot wedded Miss Celestine Soniat Dubroca, who was born in West Baton Rouge Parish, May 10, 1841, and whose death occurred in the City of New Orleans March 7, 1921. Mrs. Favrot was reared and educated in Paris, France, where she lived I the home of her aunt, Mrs. Ursin Soniat. Of the children of Colonel and Mrs. Favrot the first born was Henry L., who was a representative member of the New Orleans bar at the time of his death, in 1918, at the age of fifty-three years, and who had represented that district in the Senate of the Louisiana Legislature. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American war. Charles A., as a member of the firm of Favrvot & Livandais [sic] [Lavaudais], it one of the leading architects in the city of New Orleans. Edgar D. holds a responsible executive position with the Poplar Grove Planting Company in West Baton Rouge Parish. William R. is a merchant in the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Leo M., of this review, was the next in order of birth. Louise resides in New Orleans and is a well-known organist and teacher of music. Mrs. Corinne Hart is in the employ of a leading firm of stock and bond bankers in New Orleans.

After attending the high school of Tulane University one year Leo M. Favrot continued his studies in the university until his graduation as a member of the class of 1894 and with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He later at Tulane took a post-graduate course of one year. In 1920-21 he attended the George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville Tennessee, and received therefrom the degree of Master of Arts. He has attended also summer sessions at Harvard University and the University of Chicago. At Tulane University he became affiliated with the Kappa Alpha fraternity. After his graduation from Tulane he was for three years principal of the Port Allen School in West Baton Rouge Parish, and he next gave two years service as principal of Poydras Academy. His efficient educational work was continued five years in his tenure of the position of principal of the high school at Leesville, and in the period of 1906-1908 he was superintendent of schools for West Baton Rouge Parish. Thereafter he held a similar position in St. Martin Parish until 1910, when he was elected state high school inspector of Louisiana and established his residence in Baton Rouge. He held office two rears and then became state director of Negro education in Arkansas, with headquarters in Little Rock. There he remained in effective service in the state department of education until 1916, when he was urged to take up a similar work in his state and became Louisiana state agent of rural schools for negros.Here he did a most effective work of constructive order, and he continued his service in this capacity until September, 1913 when he resigned, upon accepting his present important office, that of field agent of the General Education Board, New York City. Mr. Favrot is the author of several pamphlets and brochures on the subject of Negro education, and in 1923 one of these, entitled "A Study of County Training Schools for Negroes in the South," was published by the trustees of the John F. Slater Fund, this admirable review having attracted pronounced and wide attention and commendation in educational circles. Mr. Favrot participated in the Arkansas educational survey in 1921, and more recently directed the survey of Negro education in Texas and prepared that chapter for the state survey. An enthusiast in his profession, Mr. Favrot is an active member of the Louisiana State Education Association and the National Education Association, and a member of Phi Delta Kappa, an educational research fraternity. He is aligned loyally in the ranks of the democratic party, is a deacon in the First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge, and his wife likewise is zealous in the work of this church. At Lake Park is situated the Baton Rouge home of the family, and this attractive residence property is owned by Mr. Favrot.

September 28, 1899, recorded the marriage of Mr. Favrot and Miss Rosie Harrison, who was born in Natchitoches Parish, this state, and who is a graduate of the Louisiana State Normal School at Natchitoches. Mr. and Mrs. Favrot have six children: Lawrence H. is a graduate of the class of 1924 of the great University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and is now a valued employe of the firm of Ford, Bacon & Davis, in New York City; Genevieve was graduated from the University of Louisiana with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and is now (1924) teacher of English in the high school at Lutcher, thus state; Agnes and Sadie are students in the State Normal College at Natchitoches; Leo M., Jr., is attending the Peabody High School; and Yvonne the popular young autocrat of the parental home circle.

In the opening paragraph it this review reference was made to another family record, and in order more readily to identify Mr. Favrot's genealogical line may here be stated that he is a grandson of Louis Favrot, who was born in West Baton Rouge Parish, in 1788, and whose death there occurred in 1876, he having been prominent in public affairs and those of political order. His wife, whose family name was Duplantier, likewise passed her entire life in West Baton Rouge Parish. Louis Favrot was a son of Pierre Joseph de Favrot and Marie Francoise (Gerard) Favrot, the former having been a son of Joseph Claude de Favrot, who came from .Le France as a soldier in the French army H the first colonists to settle in Louisiana, in 1732, born December 6. 1701, and died in 1763. Representatives of the Favrot family were soldiers in the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil war.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 82-83, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.