Wall, J. Paris

Submitted by Mike Miller, Feb. 1999

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 440-441. Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.

J. Paris Wall was born in St. Helena parish, La., September 19, 1833, the eldest of the six children born to D. W. and Elizabeth (Huff) Wall, natives of South Carolina. His father came to Louisiana in 1812, before the battle of New Orleans. He was a merchant all of his life, and was a very prominent figure in the political world. He was probate judge of Livingston parish for a number of years. He was also president of the State University while it was at Springfield, before it was removed to Baton Rouge. His business dealings were of the very highest and he was recognized as one of the leading, honest and upright citizens of his parish. He died in 1860, at Osyka, Miss.

The paternal grandparents of our subject were D. W. and Amanda (Wickliff) Wall, natives of South Carolina. D. W. Wall was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. The maternal grand-parents of J. Paris Wall were William and Elizabeth (Breed) Huff, Mrs. Huff being a cousin of the celebrated Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Our subject was reared and educated in Louisiana, and he attended Centenary college at Jackson, La., where he graduated in 1853, in the mercantile course. He is a lawyer and has figured very prominently in the politics of both parish and state. He was elected state senator for the Florida parishes in 1860 and served for four years, being then only twenty-eight years of age at the time of his election, and was the youngest member of the senate. He has been mayor of Tangipahoa alternately for thirty years. At present he is the notary public of Tangipahoa.

In 1862 he enlisted in the late war, and was commissioned as captain by Gov. Thomas O. Moore, and acted as general recruiting officer for Camp Moore and particularly was influential in raising and equipping the Ninth Louisiana battalion cavalry, to which regiment he allied himself and continued with it during the war when not engaged in his official duties as senator.

He introduced a bill in the legislature for the relief of the destitute families of confederate soldiers for the Florida parishes, which became general, and he regularly brought thousands of dollars for the relief of his constituents. Although the money was much depreciated in value it was a godsend to the poor starved soldiers' families.

His brother, Frank Wall, was quartermaster of the same regiment to which our subject belonged; during this time, Mr. J. Paris Wall was in the state senate when that body was in session. He was in the battle of Baton Rouge and was in several minor engagements, but in no regular pitched battles. He was paroled at Clinton, La.

Mr. Wall has been twice married. The first time, 1854, he married Miss Mary B. Addison, a native of Louisiana and a daughter of Dr. Overton C. and Bethsheba (Louis) Addison, of Washington. D. C. and Louisiana respectively. Dr Addison was a very prominent physician of this state. To this union there were six children born, namely: Cora (deceased), Jennie, Drury W., May, Natie and John P. (deceased.)

In 1866 he took for his second wife Miss Sallie E. Kemp, a native of Louisiana, and a daughter of Dempsey and Adelaide (Thompson) Kemp, natives of Louisiana. Her father was a very wealthy man. To this union were born the following ten children: Mary, Emma L., Lena A., Carrie K. (deceased), Dempsey (also deceased), Julia C., Jay P., Ella, Preston H. and Bessie.

Mr. and Mrs. Wall are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a Mason and has been identified with that body for twenty years. He is quite an extensive planter and owns several thousand acres of land and 275 town lots in the town of Tangipahoa, devoting a great deal of his time in buying and selling real estate. He is well and favorably known throughout the entire parish, as an honorable, upright and Christian gentleman.