Major Edward A. Burke and Transnational New South Visionaries, 1870-1928 Michael Powers University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2018 “The ommeC rcial Union of the Three Americas:” Major Edward A. Burke and Transnational New South Visionaries, 1870-1928 Michael Powers University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Latin American History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Powers, Michael, "“The ommeC rcial Union of the Three Americas:” Major Edward A. Burke and Transnational New South Visionaries, 1870-1928" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 2801. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2801 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. “The Commercial Union of the Three Americas:” Major Edward A. Burke and Transnational New South Visionaries, 1870-1928 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Michael Shane Powers University of Florida Bachelor of Arts in History, and Political Science, 2010 Clemson University Master of Arts in History, 2012 May 2018 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. __________________________ Daniel E. Sutherland, Ph.D. Dissertation Director __________________________ ________________________ Patrick Williams, Ph.D. Kathryn Sloan, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member Abstract Traditional images of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American South are of an inward-looking region characterized by economic stagnation, xenophobia, cultural isolation, and reactionary politics. This dissertation contends that vibrant transnational links connected the South to the wider world through an analysis of the political and economic landscape of postbellum Louisiana, the 1884 New Orleans World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial, the Louisiana State Lottery Company, and Central America. An examination of Edward Austin Burke demonstrates that the era’s New South creed comprised a seminal transnational component. This dissertation will explore how Burke became a central cog in Louisiana’s Democratic political machine and a leading American capitalist in Central America. As owner-editor of the New Orleans Times-Democrat and director general of the 1884 New Orleans world’s fair, Burke enjoyed a marvelous platform from which to broadcast his vision of a transnational New South that promoted Latin America as a market for southern-made exports and an investment opportunity for southern businessmen. The New Orleans exposition displayed technologies and products that shaped and at times threatened gender roles, racial hierarchies, class norms, local political dynamics, and imperial visions. Burke was also a key partner in the alliance between Louisiana’s Democratic government and the Louisiana lottery. The lottery, with its tentacles in Latin America and nearly every state of the Union, insured that no other Gilded Age political machine utilized national and transnational ties as successfully as Louisiana’s. In the late 1880s, Burke began a near forty-year residency in Honduras, where he held diversified interests in the country’s railroads and real estate along with substantial mineral concessions. The major also actively supported numerous Honduran administrations, held five different high-ranking positions in government-supported railroads, recruited other foreign capitalists, served as intermediary when disputes arose between capitalists and Honduran leaders, and informally advised several presidents on matters ranging from infrastructure projects to American politics. Using American and Latino perspectives, this study demonstrates how the interplay between the U.S. South and Latin America was a defining variable in their respective developments. Acknowledgments Historical research and writing often gives the illusion of self-sufficiency. To the contrary, I could not have completed this dissertation without a host of individuals and institutions. The merits this project contains is due to their influence, any errors of commission and omission are my own. Paul Anderson shepherded what ultimately evolved into this dissertation during my time in the Master’s program at Clemson University. Patrick Williams and Kathryn Sloan have provided innumerable knowledge and insights in seminars at the University of Arkansas even before their thoughtful contributions on my dissertation committee. As a mentor, advisor, and editor, Daniel Sutherland was in a league of his own for his detailed feedback and patient editing of my scholarship. I have also undeservedly benefited from the aid of many others. Connie Atkinson and the University of New Orleans’ Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies along with Rebecca Snedeker and the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane University provided great conversations and support for a scholar with a previous dearth of knowledge about the Crescent City. Gaines Foster, Justin Nystrom, and Miki Pfeffer have also generously given their time and breadth of knowledge about postbellum Louisiana. Laurence Mazzeno graciously sharing his cache of research on the Louisiana lottery incalculably enhanced my ability to demonstrate the lottery’s seminal importance. Archivists and librarians at Louisiana State University’s Louisiana & Lower Mississippi Valley collection, Tulane’s Louisiana Research Collection, the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, and The Historic New Orleans Collection have made researching a joy and given excellent suggestions. My time as a Baird Society Resident Scholar at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries in Washington D.C. was a personal and scholarly highlight of my dissertation research. Even with many of the best holdings in the country, the greatest asset of the National Museum of American History is its staff, who are genuinely kind, collaborative, and knowledgeable. Lilla Vekerdy made my tenure at the Dibner Library a pleasure and ensured an atmosphere exceptionally conducive to research and writing. Morgan Anderson also promptly facilitated any research requests and was immediately reliable for any inquires, large or small. Trina Brown and Jim Roan were exceptionally helpful in navigating online databases and locating information on research aspects that arose unexpectedly. I was particularly fortunate to have been aided by Pamela Henson, who as Historian of the Smithsonian shared her unsurpassed knowledge of the institution’s importance and history. My stay in Tegucigalpa was another formative experience that was as enjoyable as it was productive. Douglas Vargas, Director of the Archivo Nacional de Honduras, and Dennis Eduardo Ramirez, Subdirector of the Archivo Nacional de Honduras, provided an unmerited amount of gracious and knowledgeable help in facilitating research. Maria Luisa Aguilar Mejia and Karen Medrano were also extremely helpful and kind in locating documents. Eric Schwimmer’s aid and expertise in the fascinating world of Honduran politics enhanced my dissertation invaluably. The hospitality and friendship of Giselle Chaupis and Alejandro Baez further makes me long to return to Honduras. Moreover, I have been immensely blessed with an amazing family. Gibbie and Katera McMillan have always been gracious in allowing me to use their home as a base for researching in New Orleans and Louisiana. My parents, Shane and Dana Powers, are the embodiment of unselfish love. The crux of not only my graduate career, but also my life, is being the husband of Rebekah McMillan, who is both a partner and model. Dedication To my mother and father, my source of love and kindness. To Ellie, my unfalteringly steady companion. And to Rebekah, whose unwavering patience, gracious support, and knowledge inspire me daily. Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………... 1 Chapter One: Major Edward A. Burke and the Struggle for “Home Rule” in Louisiana …………….. 14 Chapter Two: Major Edward A. Burke and Louisiana Machine Politics ……………………………... 59 Chapter Three: The Crescent City on a Global Stage: The 1884 New Orleans World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition ……………………………………………………. 113 Chapter Four: “Un Eminente Caballero:” Major Edward A. Burke in Latin America, 1886-1896 …..171 Epilogue ………………………………………………………………………………………. 218 Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………………… 241 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………….. 255 Introduction Defining New Orleans is akin to mooring a ship to a floating dock, it is a place of paradox and permeability. It is the main port in the stern of the Mississippi after its porous hull meanders through the heartland of North America, but its municipal boundaries do not border the Gulf of Mexico. Situated between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi, as the river flows west to east amid wetlands before looping north, the exact contours of the Crescent City fluctuate with shifting sediments and waterways. It is one of the southernmost cities in North America and the northernmost city in the circum-Caribbean, a gateway to the hinterland and a Caribbean port. It has long been a city of migration, as people and goods inhabit the same space as migratory birds and crawfish. With striking racial stratification, vibrant cultural mixing, and a reputation for both licentiousness and cosmopolitanism, New