Eligius Fromentin

Eligius Fromentin (1767 – October 6, 1822) was an American politician.

Eligius Fromentin
United States senator
from Louisiana
In office
March 4, 1813 – March 4, 1819
Preceded byAllan B. Magruder
Succeeded byJames Brown
Personal details
Born1767
France
DiedOctober 6, 1822 (aged 54–55)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic-Republican

Fromentin was born and raised in France, where he later became a Roman Catholic priest. Fromentin fled the country during the French Revolution and arrived in the United States. He at first settled in Pennsylvania, but then moved to Maryland, where he was a schoolteacher and a priest. By the early 19th century, Fromentin decided to leave the church and moved to Louisiana, which was being purchased by the United States. He settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, and became a lawyer.

Fromentin was a member of the territorial house of representatives from 1807 to 1811. He was part of the constitutional convention that developed Louisiana's state constitution when it became a state in 1812. In 1813, he was elected to the United States Senate from Louisiana, and served for one term, retiring in 1819. He may have been the first former priest to serve in Congress. Fromentin was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.[1]

Upon his retirement, Fromentin returned to Louisiana and became judge of the New Orleans criminal court in 1821. He soon left this position to become a federal judge in Florida, but resigned from that position as well. Fromentin then returned to New Orleans, where he died the following year.

See also
  • List of United States Senators born outside the United States

References
  1. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
  • United States Congress. "Eligius Fromentin (id: F000389)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Allan B. Magruder		 U.S. senator (Class 3) from Louisiana
1813–1819
Served alongside: James Brown, William C.C. Claiborne, Henry Johnson		 Succeeded by
James Brown
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