Last modified on October 1, 2023, at 17:15

Marietta LeBreton

Marietta Marie LeBreton​

(Louisiana historian affiliated with
Northwestern State University)​

Marietta LeBreton of LA.jpg

Born March 26, 1936​
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Died March 5, 2009 (aged 72)
Shreveport, Louisiana​

Resting place:
Metaire Cemetery in New Orleans

Spouse Never married​

Parents:
Guy J., Sr., and Marietta Marie Schneidau LeBreton
Alma mater:
Louisiana State University
Notes:

Religion Roman Catholic

Marietta Marie LeBreton (March 26, 1936 – March 5, 2009) was an historian of Louisiana affiliated for forty-five years with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.​[1]

Background

LeBreton (pronounced LEH BRE TOHN) was the only daughter of four children born to the late Guy Joseph LeBreton, Sr. (born 1894), and and the former Marietta Marie Schneidau (born 1898). She was reared in Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans. She obtained all three of her degrees in history, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Ph.D., from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She had three brothers and nine nieces and nephews.[2]

One of her brothers, Arthur James LeBreton, Sr. (1931-2013), was a petroleum engineer for the Halliburton Corporation in Lafayette, Louisiana.[3] He was married to the former Frances Kentner (c. 1929-2022), a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4]. The other brothers were Capt. Guy J. LeBreton, Jr. (1925-2011), of San Francisco, California,[5] and Hilliard Antoine LeBreton (1933-2002).[6]

Career

LeBreton joined the NSU faculty at the age of twenty-seven in 1963 as an instructor of social science. She was promoted to assistant professor of history in 1965, associate professor in 1970, and full professor in 1973. In 1980, she was named to succeed Donald Rawson as the chairman of the NSU Department of History after president René Bienvenu tapped Rawson as the Dean of the Graduate School.[7] LeBreton left the chairmanship in 1983, when the department was renamed Social Sciences. She returned to teaching and was still on the history faculty in the spring of 2009 when she was stricken with a brief but fatal illness.

She authored Northwestern State University: A History 1884-1984,[8] which was published in 1985 by the NSU Press for the university centennial.[9]

LeBreton authored "The Acadians" chapter of Stephan Thernstrom's Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. She also wrote a geographic and historical article about Dorcheat Bayou, a scenic wonder in southwestern Arkansas and Webster Parish, Louisiana, in the book Rivers and Bayous of Louisiana." She wrote "The Burr Conspiracy", a chapter of the Readings in Louisiana History," of which she was also the associate editor.[9]​ In 1974, LeBreton wrote a position paper on Article III of the Louisiana Constitution of 1812 entitled "Edwin Edwards: The Role of the Governor in Louisiana Politics: An Historical Analysis," which was published in the periodical, Louisiana History, based at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.[10]

Death and legacy

LeBreton died three weeks prior to her 73rd birthday in a Shreveport hospital.[10]​ Services were held on March 11, 2009, at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church [2] in Natchitoches, with the Reverend Jason Gootee officiating, and on March 12 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home Chapel in New Orleans with interment there at Metairie Cemetery.[1]

NSU President Randall Webb noted that LeBreton's longevity was one of the most enduring in NSU history. She was a faculty member for more than a third of the existence of the institution.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Marietta Marie LeBreton. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 25, 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Remembering Dr. Marietta LeBreton, professor, historian and mentor at NSU-LA. Natchitoches Preservation Network. Retrieved on October 5, 2009; may not be on-line, requires registration.
  3. Arthur LeBreton obituary. The Lafayette Advertiser (September 17, 2013). Retrieved on April 25, 2020.
  4. Frances LeBreton obituary. The New Orleans Times-Picayune (June 10, 2022). Retrieved on June 11, 2022.
  5. Capt. Guy Joseph LeBreton. Findagrave. Retrieved on April 25, 2020.
  6. Arthur LeBreton obituary. The Lafayette Advertiser (September 17, 2013). Retrieved on April 25, 2020.
  7. Historical News and Notices. jstor.org: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 47 (No. 1) (February 1981). Retrieved on April 24, 2020.
  8. Northwestern State University of Louisiana, 1884-1984: A History. openlibrary.org. Retrieved on April 24, 2020. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Author of NSU History Dies. northwesternalumni.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2009; no longer on-line.
  10. 10.0 10.1 David Royal. History professor leaves legacy at NSU: University thanks LeBreton for 45 years of service. media.collegepublisher.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2009; no longer on-line.

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