• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • The Latest
  • Families
  • Archives
  • Contact

Thompson Family History

Telling the story straight, no matter how painful or unsavory.

By Boyce Thompson

Judah P. Benjamin Was Forced to Leave His Desk Behind

Benjamin DeskWhen Judah P. Benjamin fled the country following the Civil War — he needed to skedaddle since he’d served as Secretary of State for the Confederacy — there was only so much he could take with him. First, the portly attorney could only fit so much on his horse, which he rode through the South, barely escaping capture. Then, to avoid notice, he was forced to stow away on a boat to England. His quarters were no doubt cramped.

This is a long way of saying that the barrister was forced to leave behind his large roll-top desk, along with most of his other belongings. The desk remains in the archives of the Louisiana State Museum, which has it on loan from the Times-Picayune newspaper.

Benjamin bought the desk for use in his New Orleans residence, though its not clear which one. One now houses a strip club. After he fled to England, his possessions — including the desk — were sold at auction.

The desk was used by four editors of the Times-Democrat, according to Katie Hall, a curator of decorative arts for the Museum. One of them bought the desk at auction. George W. Healy, Jr., used the desk in his office from about 1939 to 1969, according to a Times-Picayune article dated August 7, 1969.

“When the Times-Picayune moved from the old quarters at Lafayette Square to its current building, the desk no longer fit the modern decor,” the article reads.

Filed Under: Benjamin, Families Tagged With: George W. Healy, Jr., Judah P. Benjamin, Katie Hall, Louisiana State Museum

Primary Sidebar

Families

  • Thompson
    (80)
  • Kruttschnitt
    (30)
  • Boyce
    (14)
  • Simmers
    (11)
  • Benjamin
    (10)
  • Gingras
    (7)
  • Boner
    (6)
  • Pickering
    (6)
  • Ough
    (5)
  • Maguire
    (5)
  • Wright
    (5)
  • Clark
    (4)
  • Biddle
    (4)
  • McCullen
    (4)
  • Woodhouse
    (3)
  • Wigmore
    (3)
  • de Mendes
    (3)
  • Kock
    (3)
  • Libby
    (2)
  • Cunningham
    (2)
  • Wilson
    (1)
  • Williams
    (1)
  • Mercier
    (1)
  • Hohenlohe
    (1)
  • Filor
    (1)
  • Herman
    (1)
  • Kithcart
    (1)
  • St. Martin
    (1)
  • Hickman
    (1)

Latest from Boyce

Greer Historian Preserved Relic from J.E. Thompson Lodge

10:55 am 27 Apr 2023

The Unexciting Truth About William Boyce Thompson’s Picket Post Mansion

4:14 pm 24 Apr 2023

Philip Benjamin: Portrait of a Small-Time Con

11:27 am 03 Apr 2023

Explore the History

Benjamin Biddle Boner Boyce Clark Cunningham Deathbed Letters de Mendes Doty Families Fiction Filor Folklore Gingras Herman Hickman Hohenlohe Kithcart Kock Kruttschnitt Libby Maguire McCullen Mercier Miscellaneous Murray Ough Pickering Simmers St. Martin Thompson Wigmore Williams Wilson Woodhouse Wright

Popular

  • Rancho Joaquina Needed a Facelift Before It Could be Shown to the Public
  • Hatevil Nutter Was A Cruel Religious Hypocrite
  • Judah P. Benjamin’s Homes Largely Forgotten In New Orleans
  • Old Letter Is Probably Fake, But Still Makes Good Reading
  • Bernard Kock Colonized Cow Island With Freed Slaves

Get in Touch

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2023 · Thompson Family History · Boyce Thompson Media, LLC