Nicholas Girod (also spelled Nicolas Girod; April 1751 – September 1, 1840) was the fifth mayor of New Orleans, serving from late 1812 to September 4, 1815. He was the first mayor of the city after Louisiana entered the United States as a state.
Biography
Girod was born in Cluses, Savoy (then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, in present-day France) into a prominent family. He migrated to Spanish Louisiana in the late 1770s with his brother Claude François and brother-in-law Andre-Marie Quetant. He prospered as a commission merchant and owned extensive property in New Orleans, particularly in the American quarter. The Girod family conducted wholesale and retail commerce near the levee landing and later operated from the building at Chartres and St. Louis streets.
Political Career
In 1812, Girod was the first regularly elected mayor of New Orleans after Louisiana's admission to the Union. He was elected on September 21, 1812, took office on November 5, and served until September 4, 1814, at which point he was re-elected, resigning on September 4, 1815. He was briefly out of office during his first year, most likely due to illness, before retaking his position.
During his tenure, the War of 1812 broke out. Girod prepared the city to defend itself against a British invasion and welcomed General Andrew Jackson, who declared martial law upon entering New Orleans in December 1814. After the Battle of New Orleans, Girod retired from politics and returned to managing his businesses.
Philanthropy
Girod was a noted philanthropist. In his 1837 holographic will, he left a bond of $100,000 for the construction of a facility in Orleans Parish to house and care for Louisiana's French orphans. He also bequeathed $30,000 to Charity Hospital, among other provisions.
Plot to Free Napoleon
In 1821, Girod remodeled and furnished a house on Chartres Street (now known as the Napoleon House), which he had inherited from his brother. He was a prominent financial sponsor of a plan to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte from his exile on Saint Helena and bring him to live in New Orleans. A ship, the Seraphine, was constructed and set sail under Captain Bossier and the pirate Dominique You. The expedition was aborted when a French merchantman signaled that Napoleon had died on May 5, 1821.
Personal Life and Legacy
Girod never married and had no children. He died on September 1, 1840, at his home on the corner of Chartres and St. Louis streets. Both New Orleans and Mandeville, Louisiana, have a Girod Street named in his honor.
