Clay Knobloch

'''Henry Clay Knobloch''', also spelled '''Knoblock''', (November 25, 1839 – May 19, 1903) was the 19th [[lieutenant governor of Louisiana]] from 1885 to 1889 serving under Governor [[Samuel D. McEnery]].

==Early life and Civil War== Knobloch was from [[Thibodaux, Louisiana]] and he served in the [[American Civil War]] as Sergeant of Company I of the 26th Louisiana Infantry in the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Army. In 1867, Knobloch married Flavia Knight.

==Political career== Knobloch was a supporter of the [[Samuel D. McEnery|McEnery]] faction of the Louisiana [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. In 1884 Knobloch ran for and was elected Lieutenant Governor but he was defeated in the Democratic Primary when he ran for reelection in 1888. He lost to [[James Jeffries (Louisiana politician)|James Jeffries]] who was affiliated with the [[Francis T. Nicholls|Nicholls]] faction of the party, even losing his own parish. He blamed his defeat in [[Lafourche Parish]] on State Senator E.A. O'Sullivan who represented the Parish in the legislature. In February 1889 they came to blows on the streets of Thibodaux and one week later Knobloch challenged O'Sullivan to a [[duel]]. They met on the dueling grounds at the Oaks in New Orleans on March 1, 1889, with O'Sullivan choosing swords as the method for the duel. When the parties were assembled at the Oaks, it was determined that the ground was too wet with dew to allow sword fighting and after a brief parley, the dispute was resolved without violence.<ref>{{cite journal | title=O'Sullivan Chose Swords | journal = New York Times | date = March 2, 1889 | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/03/02/109793026.pdf | access-date = May 9, 2009 }}</ref>

==Death== Knobloch was shot and killed on May 18, 1903, in downtown [[Thibodaux, Louisiana]] by barber James Cherault. Evidence from a preliminary hearing showed the men quarreled over a woman, and Cherault shot Knobloch in self-defense.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Knobloch and Barber Quarreled over Woman | journal = Washington Times | date = May 20, 1903 | url = https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1903-05-20/ed-1/seq-1.pdf | access-date = January 9, 2019 }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Find a Grave|15944754}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box |title=[[List of Lieutenant Governors of Louisiana|Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana]] | before=[[George L. Walton|George L. Walton (D)]]| after=[[James Jeffries (Louisiana politician)|James Jeffries (D)]] | years=1884–1888}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knobloch, Clay L.}} [[Category:1839 births]] [[Category:1903 deaths]] [[Category:Lieutenant governors of Louisiana]] [[Category:Louisiana Democrats]] [[Category:American duellists]] [[Category:People from Thibodaux, Louisiana]]