| Zénon Labauve Jr. | |
| Office: | Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court |
| Termend: | November 1, 1868 |
| Termstart: | April 3, 1865 |
| Predecessor: | Thomas Thompson Land |
| Successor: | William Gillespie Wyly |
| Birth Date: | 16 February 1801 |
| Birth Place: | West Florida, Spanish Empire |
| Death Place: | Iberville, Louisiana, United States |
Zénon Labauve Jr. (February 16, 1801September 25, 1870) was a Reconstruction-era justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the first Creole to serve on the court.[1]
Labauve was born in 1801 in a portion of West Florida that would later become West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. His father, Pierre Labauve, was a Louisiana Creole born in St. James Parish and his mother was a native of France. He first won election to the Louisiana State Senate in 1834, but was defeated for reelection in 1838.[2] In 1838, he was elected the first mayor of the newly incorporated Plaquemine.[3] In July 1842 he was again elected to the state Senate as a Whig,[4] but the election results were cancelled. When the election was re-run in 1843, he was again successful. In 1844, he was elected to the state's Constitutional Convention of 1845. In a brief biographical sketch of Constitutional Convention delegates, The Times-Picayune newspaper noted "His speeches are generally brief, but give evidence of a sound thinker."[5] Despite desiring to retire from the state Senate, he was nominated once more and in 1851 reelected without opposition.[2]
After the Civil War, Labauve was appointed by the Reconstruction-era governor Michael Hahn to an associate justice seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. Labauve served from April 3, 1865, to November 1, 1868.[1] Prior to his appointment, Labauve had grown wealthy as a sugar planter and lawyer in the German Coast. He and his fellow appointees were considered "safe" and "loyal" and in alignment with the Federal government. Labauve was the "[f]irst member of 'ancienne population'," meaning he was descended from a Creole family that was in Louisiana prior to the Sale of Louisiana, to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court.[1]
He died in 1870 in Iberville Parish.[3]