Randolph Natili Baron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 24, 1842 New Orleans, LA |
| Died | May 10, 1915 (aged 72) Morgan City, LA |
| Resting place | Morgan City Cemetery and Mausoleum |
| Other names | Little Diplomate The Baron |
| Occupation(s) | Politician Railroad Superintendent Art Historian |
| Years active | 1870-1915 |
| Employer(s) | Huntington Family Southern Pacific Railroad Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad |
| Spouse | Marie Chassaignac |
| Children | Mary Alice Natili |
| Family | Dimitry Family (Creoles) |
Randolph Natili (October 24, 1842 - May 10, 1915) was a mixed-race Louisiana Creole author, politician, diplomate, special railroad agent, art collector, and socialite. He was a member of the prominent New Orleans mixed Greek Creole family known as the Dimitry Family. His father-in-law French-American composer Eugene Chassaignac desegregated Scottish Rite Freemasonic lodges in New Orleans around 1867 and Randolph's first cousin George Pandely was involved in a racial incident entitled the Pandelly Affair. Natili worked in the railroad enterprise because of his cousin superintendent Pandely. Natili was a patron of the arts and by 1900 published a book entitled Martin H. Colnaghi, Marlborough Gallery. Natili's first cousin once removed Alice married Italian American composer Giuseppe Ferrata. Natili was close friends with the Huntington family and at the time of his death is listed as receiving a salary of 25,000 a year close to one million dollars adjusted for 2024 inflation due to his close affiliation with the Huntington family.[1][2][3][4]
Randolph was born in New Orleans to Doctor Auguste Natili and Mathilde Elizabeth Theophanie Dimitry their union was an interracial marriage.[5] Randolph was raised in New Orleans and his uncle was Alexander Dimitry the first state superintendent of public education in Louisiana and U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Randolph adopted the nickname the Baron and eventually was surrounded by America's elite. In the 1890s he toured the southern United States with President Benjamin Harrison.[6] Randolph was closely associated with Giuseppe Ferrata's musical career for the last twenty years of his life.[7] Ferrata named several pieces after him and his cousin Alice.[3][2] Randolph had an exceptional life, due to his ethnic background it was very difficult for people of color living during the Jim Crow era because states eventually instituted the one-drop rule. His grandson was Major League Baseball pitcher and manager Eddie Dyer. A fountain was dedicated to Randolph in Morgan City around 1916 at Lawrence Park.[8]
- ^ "Morgan City $25,000 Station Agent Dies Baron Natili, in Fact, S.P.'s Diplomat" (PDF). The New Orleans Item. New Orleans, LA: The New Orleans Item. May 10, 1915. p. 12, col. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Kneedler 1895, p. 25-26.
- ^ a b Pecquet du Bellet 1907a, p. 187.
- ^ Eanes 1995, pp. 39–40, 43–45, 47, 49, 75, 83–84, 89–92, 105, 107–110, 114–116, 120 122-123, 137, 142–143, 149, 151–152, 182, 185.
- ^ Christophe 2018, pp. 8, 15, 19.
- ^ "The Baron Has Gone". San Antonio Daily Light, Volume 12, No. 215. San Antonio, Texas: San Antonio Daily Light. September 26, 1892. p. 8, col. 1. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ Eanes 1995, p. 26.
- ^ Robison et al. 1960, p. 100.