1914 Biography - Andrew Price

Price, Andrew, late of Lafourche parish, La., (born April 2, 1854; died Feb. 5, 1909), was for many years prominently identified with the sugar planting interests and with public affairs of his native state. His family originally from St. Louis, Mo., removed to St. Mary parish and engaged in sugar planting. The Chatsworth plantation, owned by the Prices, is one of the oldest in that region, and while it was in the possession of Andrew Price's father, it yielded very large crops. On his mother's side, the subject of this sketch was related to many of the best families of the parish — the Fosters, Cafferys and others. Andrew Price was born on the paternal estate. Private tutors attended to his primary and grammar education until he was 12 years of age, when he was sent to Cumberland university, at Lebanon, Tenn., and after completing the collegiate course he entered the law department and graduated in 1875. Continuing the study of law, Mr. Price took a course of 2 years in the law department of Washington university, St. Louis, and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1877. The young attorney practiced his profession in St. Louis until 1880, achieving much success. Having married in 1879 Miss Anna M. Gay, daughter of Edward J. Gay, a wealthy sugar planter of Louisiana, Mr. Price decided to return home and devote himself exclusively to sugar planting in partnership with his father-in-law. Although he had given up the practice of law to attend to his landed interests, Mr. Price could not refrain from engaging in politics, and in 1884 actively supported Mr. Gay in opposition to Wm. Pitt Kellogg, the republican nominee, in the third congressional district of Louisiana. That political campaign was memorable because of Mr. Gay's victory over Mr. Kellogg brought about the overthrow of republicanism in that district, where it had flourished for nearly 20 years. Mr. Price managed the campaign for his father-in-law with great ability and success, and became well known and very popular in the district. When Mr. Gay died in 1889, before the end of his second term in congress, the people unanimously elected Mr. Price to fill the unexpired term, in recognition of the great service he had performed in redeeming the district from republican rule. He was re-elected to three successive terms, and served until March 3, 1897. During his term in congress Mr. Price became a prominent figure, through his marked abilities, and his high-minded course in all his dealings with his colleagues. The Louisiana sugar industry had no more able and watchful champion in congress than he. In 1896 when the Louisiana legislature met to elect a successor to Senator White who had been appointed to the Supreme court of the United States, Mr. Price became a candidate against three prominent citizens, Congressman N. D. Blanchard, who had been appointed ad interim senator pending the special session of the legislature; Walter D. Denegre, nominee of the Citizens' league and Judge Blackman. At that time the free silver sentiment was sweeping the democratic party, and the legislature decided to call for expressions of views on the part of candidates relative to free silver. Mr. Price had always been an advocate of the gold standard, and although his good friends advised him to parry by declaring his willingness to do whatever the people of the state should want on that subject, he replied that he could not honorably descend to equivocation. Then Mr. Price appeared before the legislature and declared in a plain and straightforward speech that he believed in the gold standard; but, if the democratic national convention which was to meet in a few weeks later, decided on a free silver plank, he would, as a consistent and loyal democrat, vote with the party. Mr. Price's supporters in the legislature realized that he had no chance to be elected senator, but continued to vote for him until Hon. S. D. McEnery, the choice of the caucus, won on final ballot over Mr. Denegre, after Messrs. Price, Blanchard and Blackman had withdrawn in favor of the candidate put forward by the caucus. Mr. Price declined re-election to the 55th congress, and was succeeded by Hon. Robert Broussard. In 1898 Mr. Price became a member of the state constitutional convention, and was on the committee on suffrage and elections. That was his last service in public life, and he devoted himself to planting and stock raising until he suffered an attack of paralysis. His condition steadily grew worse, and Feb. 5, 1909 the end came. At the bedside stood his wife, his brothers, Col. Wm. H. and John Price, and several members of the Price and Gay families. Mr. Price was a man of splendid physique, gentle and considerate by nature and almost revered by those in lowly station who had occasion to meet him. His sense of honor was strongly marked, and he was extremely modest. Loved and honored for himself alone, his death was deeply and sincerely mourned. In the New Orleans "Picayune" of Feb. 6, 1909 the following tribute was paid to his memory: "The death of Hon. Andrew Price at his plantation, near Thibodaux, was a grievous surprise to many of his friends, although they were fully aware of the general condition of his health. It was while he was serving his second term in the national house of representatives that he was stricken with paralysis which forced his retirement from a prominent public life, and finally terminated his earthly career. It is to be doubted if there could be found anywhere a man in the prime of manhood more magnificently endowed physically than Andrew Price, when in 1890 he succeeded as representative in congress, for the third district of Louisiana, his lamented predecessor and father-in-law, Hon. Edward J. Gay. At the same time his genial and generous nature made him extremely popular with all who knew him, while his brilliant intellect and solid education highly fitted him for the public life he had begun with such admirable prospects. But cut down in the midst of what would have been a grand career, the strong man became a subject for the constant care, the unfailing affection of his charming young wife who, fitted as she was, to be an ornament of the highest social circles, rose to still greater distinction as queen of the home and devoted nurse of her helpless patient."

Extracted 2020 Nov 01 by Norma Hass, from Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, published in 1914, volume 3, pages 565-567.

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