| Damien Marchesseault | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Mayor of Los Angeles | |
| In office May 9, 1859 – May 9, 1860 | |
| Preceded by | John G. Nichols |
| Succeeded by | Henry Mellus |
| In office January 7, 1861 – May 6, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Wallace Woodworth (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jose Mascarel |
| In office May 8, 1867 – August 8, 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Cristóbal Aguilar |
| Succeeded by | Cristóbal Aguilar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1, 1818 Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | January 20, 1868 (1868-01-21) (aged 49) Los Angeles, California |
Damien Marchesseault (or Marchesseau) (April 1, 1818 – January 20, 1868) was a Canadian-born American politician who served as the seventh mayor of Los Angeles from May 9, 1859, to May 9, 1860, and then again from January 7, 1861, to May 6, 1865. Marchesseault assumed the office one last time interrupting Cristobal Aguilar's first term in office for three months.
Biography
Born in St.-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, Marchesseault was described as a carousing onetime New Orleans gambler. With Victor Beaudry, he started an ice vending company using ice from what is now known as Icehouse Canyon near Mount San Antonio.
During his term as Zanjero of Los Angeles (water steward), Marchesseault and a partner laid wooden water pipes that burst and turned streets into sinkholes.
Marchesseault killed himself on 20 January 1868, leaving a suicide note to his wife, Mary Clark Marchesseault, stating his motivation was shame from his drinking and gambling debts.
Legacy
Marcheassault Street in Los Angeles is named for him.
References
- January 21, 1868, issue of the Los Angeles Semi-Weekly News
- The Quarterly. The Society. 1914.
- Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials: 1850—1938, Compiled under Direction of Municipal Reference Library City Hall, Los Angeles March 1938 (Reprinted 1966)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byOliver Stearns | Zanjero of Los Angeles May 12, 1866—May 8, 1867 |
Succeeded byJesus Cruz |
| Preceded byCristobal Aguilar | Zanjero of Los Angeles August 8, 1867—January 20, 1868 |
Succeeded byElijah Bettis |
- Mayors of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members
- 19th-century mayors of places in California
- 1818 births
- 1868 deaths
- American politicians who died by suicide
- Suicides by firearm in California
- American people of French-Canadian descent
- Emigrants from pre-Confederation Quebec to the United States
- People from Montérégie