Oscar James Dunn was the first Black Lt. Governor of Louisiana. He was elected in 1868 during the Reconstruction Era. In 1871, Dunn died of a mysterious illness at age 49. Credit: The Historic New Orleans Collection, The L. Kemper and Leila Moore Williams Founders Collection, acc. no. 1949.24.

On Nov. 22, 1871, Oscar Dunn, Louisiana’s first Black lieutenant governor, died. Dunn was among a number of Black men in the South who had gained power after the Civil War and during the Reconstruction era.

Dunn was born into slavery in 1822, though his stepfather purchased his freedom a decade later. 

As an adult, Dunn opened an employment agency  at the end of the Civil War. Recently freed men and women who had worked as servants and field hands during slavery were hired to assist businessmen and plantation owners throughout Louisiana.

After the passage of the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and the creation of a new state constitution, Dunn was appointed to the New Orleans City Council. During his time on the council, he advocated for public education for all and helped create a firefighting system in the city. 

In 1868, after former Union army officer Francis E. Dumas declined the nomination for lieutenant governor, Dunn ran on a ticket with Henry C. Warmoth, a young white politician from Illinois. They won the election, with Warmoth becoming Louisiana’s 23rd governor at the age of 26. Dunn took office on July 11, 1868, making him the first Black lieutenant governor in Louisiana.

But the honeymoon was short-lived. Dunn and Warmoth disagreed on civil rights matters, with Dunn describing Warmoth as “the first Ku-Klux governor of the party he has disgraced.” Warmoth joined forces with P.B.S. Pinchback, a Black political rival of Dunn’s. They colluded to tarnish Dunn’s reputation by alleging corruption and scandal within his family.

On Nov. 19, 1871, Dunn became violently ill. He was pronounced dead a few days later. He was 49. 

Rumors that Dunn was poisoned quickly spread. A family spokesperson declined an autopsy, though a statement was published in a local newspaper claiming Dunn had died of “congestion of the brain and lungs.”

Shortly after Dunn’s death, Pinchback replaced him as lieutenant governor.Approximately 50,000 people lined Canal Street for the 12-block funeral procession that carried Dunn from St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church to St. Louis Cemetery No 2, where he is buried.

Most Read Stories

Louisiana Senate slams door on reconsidering older split-jury convictions Louisiana Senate slams door on reconsidering older split-jury convictions 
10 key facts about the mighty Mississippi River, one of the nation’s most important waterways10 key facts about the mighty Mississippi River, one of the nation’s most important waterways
Daughter of woman killed in hit ordered by NOPD officer holds final memorialDaughter of woman killed in hit ordered by NOPD officer holds final memorial
Prosecutors ask appeals court to reinstate death sentence for Jimmie Duncan

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Creative Commons License

Shannon Stecker is a creative writer, a marketing director, and a lover of stories. She has spent the past 15 years of her career in a creative space – as a print and broadcast journalist, a freelance...