Grace, Albert L.

Submitted by Mike Miller

Albert L. Grace not only continues to maintain his home in his native city of Plaquemine, but he also has distinct prestige and one of the representative members of the bar of Iberville Parish, and he is a scion of the third generation of the Grace family in Louisiana. He is a grandson of Edmund and Mary (Crenan) Grace, both of whom were born and reared in Kilkenny, Ireland, where their marriage was solemnized, and whence, as young folk, they came to the United States and first established their residence, at Utica, New York, from which state they came to Louisiana and settled in time vicinity of Livonia Pointe Coupee parish, where Mr. Grace became a successful exponent of farm enterprise and where he passed the remainder of his life. His widow, wile was born in the year 1810, passed the closing period of her life in Iberville Parish, where her death occurred in 1878. Both were earnest communicants of the Catholic Church.

Thomas Edmund Grace, father of him whose name initiates this review, was born at Utica, New York, in 1835, and died at Plaquemine Louisiana, in February, 1884, an honored and distinguished citizen of the state in which he maintained his home from his boyhood until his death, he having here been reared in Pointe Coupee Parish. Mr. Grace was graduated from the old Notre Dame University, at South Bend, Indiana, and became a man of high scholastic and professional attainments. After the death of his father he accompanied his widowed mother on her removal to Plaquemine, he having been fourteen years of age at the time, and here his home remained and his interests were centered during the remainder of his life. After his graduation he gave two years of effective service as a member of the faculty of St. John's College at Plaquemine, and thereafter, after thorough preliminary preparation, he was here engaged in the practice of law for many years, as one of the leading members of the bar of this section of the state. He was influential in the council of the democratic party in his parish, and he served three years as recorder of the parish, besides having given an effective administration as mayor of Plaquemine. He held fur four years the office of deputy sheriff of the parish, and for several years he was right-of-way agent for the New Orleans. Mobile & Chattanooga Railroad. Both he and his wife were zealous communicants of the Catholic Church. Mrs. Grace, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Camilla Laughlin, was born in Iberville Parish, in 1840, and here passed her entire life, her death having occurred in 1883, about one year prior to that of her husband. Of the children the first born was Thomas Edmund, Jr., who died at the age of twenty-eight years, as one of the leading young lawyers at Plaquemine: Joseph A. is individually represented in the following sketch: Dr. William L. is a prominent physician and surgeon at Plaquemine; Charles Edward is here engaged in the real estate business; Frederick J., of Baton Rouge, there holds the position of registrar in the State Land Office, and retains Plaquemine as his legal residence, he being the subject or an individual sketch elsewhere in this publication; Augustin K. owns and conducts one of the leading general insurance agencies at Plaquemine; Rev. Michael Arthur, S. J., is secretary of the Jesuit Novitiate at St. Charles College, Grand Coteau, Louisiana; Mary, who now resides at Plaquemine, is the widow of Miles E. Davidson, her husband having been a lumber manufacturer in Arkansas at the time of his death; Albert L., immediate subject of this sketch is the next in order of birth; Henry was a student in Springfield College, Alabama, at the time of his death; Ruth is the wife of Patrick Barry, a traveling commercial salesman, and they reside at Plaquemine; and four children died in childhood.

Albert L. Grace gained in early education in private, and parochial schools in his native city, and in 1899 he was graduated from Springhill College, Alabama, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After elective post-graduate work he received from this institution in 1901 the supplemental degree of Master of Arts. In l899-1900 he was a student in the law department of Tulane University, and he then transferred to the law department of the great Georgetown University, District of Columbia, from which he received in 19O2 his degree of Bachelor of Laws, the further degree of Master of Laws having been likewise conferred upon him by this university. In 1912 he was admitted to the liar of his native state, and thereafter he was engaged in the practice of his profession in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, until 1908, since which year he has been established in successful general practice in his native city of Plaquemine. with offices in the Grace Building, on Main Street. His law business is of broad scope and representative order.

The political allegiance of Mr. Grace is given to the democratic party. and he and his wife and family are communicants of St. John's Catholic church at Plaquemine, he being secretary of the building committee in charge of the erection of the fine new church edifice, to be completed in 1925. Mr. Grace is affiliated with Plaquemine Council No. 970, Knights of Columbus, has served as secretary of the local Chamber of Commerce, is vice president (1924) of the Bar Association of the Twenty-first Judicial District of Louisiana, and is a member also of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is secretary of the Iberville Farm Loan Association, and is the owner of valuable real estate in his native city and county, including his exceptionally attractive and valuable home place, adjoining Plaquemine on the south. The residence on this tract of seven acres is one of the best in this section of the state.

At Baltimore, Maryland, on the 21st of April, 1903, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Grace and Miss Mary Edna Taylor, daughter of the late John Mallory Taylor and Mary (Blundell) Taylor, the father having been associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad more than fifty years and having been an auditor for that great system at the time of his death. Mrs. Grace was reared and educated in Baltimore and was there graduated from City College. In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Grace: Mary Blundell remains at the parental home and is a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy, in the City of Baton Rouge; Martha Taylor is a member of the class of 1924 in that institution; John Mallory is attending St. John's parochial school at Plaquemine; Margaret Laughlin is here a student in St. Basil's Academy; Albert L., Jr., and Denis Blundell are attending the local parochial school of St. John's Catholic Church; and the younger members of the family home circle are Edna Taylor, Joseph Allen and Rose Lee.

NOTE: The referenced source contains a black and white photograph of the subject with his/her autograph.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 227-228, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.