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Joachim O. Fernández | |
|---|---|
 Joachim Fernández | |
| Member of the U. S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1941 | |
| Preceded by | James O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Felix Edward Hébert |
| Louisiana State Representative from Orleans Parish (at-large delegation) | |
| In office 1924–1928 | |
| Louisiana State Senator from Orleans Parish (at-large) | |
| In office 1928–1930 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joachim Octave Fernández (1896-08-14)August 14, 1896 New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 1978(1978-08-08) (aged 81) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Metairie Cemetery of New Orleans |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Not available |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Joachim Octave Fernández (August 14, 1896 – August 8, 1978), was a member of theU. S. House of Representatives forLouisiana's 1st congressional district. Like all other members of his state's congressional delegation at the time of his tenure, Fernández was aDemocrat.
Son of Octave Gonzales Fernández and Mary Benson, he was born, lived, and died inNew Orleans,Louisiana. Their ancestors came from theCanary Islands, Spain and were also ofCajun,Alsatian, andGalician descent. Settlers in Louisiana from the Canaries are known asIsleños.[1] On June 3, 1920, he married Viola Murray, and the couple had two sons and two daughters. He began his political career as a member of theOld Regularpolitical machine. He was a member of theLouisiana House of Representatives from 1924 to 1928 and theState Senate from 1928 to 1930 at the time of the administration ofMayorT. Semmes Walmsley. In 1930, however, Fernández defected to the camp of Walmsley's enemy,GovernorHuey Pierce Long, Jr. He became Long'sNinth Wardpolitical boss and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1930 with Long's support. He lost his seat in 1940 to reform candidateFelix Edward Hébert, a former journalist for theNew Orleans Times-Picayune.
Fernández was a delegate to the Louisiana state constitutional convention in 1921, which wrote the document to govern his state until 1975. He was an alternate delegate to the1936 Democratic National Convention, which renominated theFranklin D. Roosevelt-John Nance Garner ticket. In his forties, Fernández served in theUnited States Navy as alieutenant commander duringWorld War II. After his congressional service, Fernández was the U.S. collector of internal revenue in New Orleans.
In theelection of 1946, Fernández briefly served as the reform candidate against MayorRobert Maestri, but he withdrew from the race at the last minute after Maestri offered to pay his campaign expenses. Maestri was unseated, however, by the reformers' choice,deLesseps Story Morrison.
Fernández wasRoman Catholic andHispanic. He was a member of theAmerican Legion. He is interred at the largeMetairie Cemetery in New Orleans.[citation needed]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Representative for the 1st Congressional District of Louisiana 1931 – 1941 | Succeeded by |
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| 2nd district | ||
| 3rd district | ||
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| 5th district | ||
| 6th district | ||
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| 8th district | ||
| At-large | ||
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| Other | |
