Bullitt, Alexander C.

Born: 1810-XX-XX Louisville, Kentucky

Died: 1868-06-06 Louisville, Kentucky

Alexander C. Bullitt was a lawyer, newspaper editor, and Whig politician. Bullitt read law, earned admission to the bar, and commenced a law practice in his native Kentucky. He became an ardent supporter of Henry Clay and the Whig Party. Around 1840, Bullitt moved to New Orleans, where he became a partner in the firm of Bullitt, Magne & Co., which became proprietors of the bilingual New Orleans Bee. Bullitt edited the English portion of the Bee from 1840 to 1844. The Bee became the official organ of the Whig Party in Louisiana, and in 1840-41 and 1843-44, Bullitt enjoyed the fruit of this association by being named state printer. In 1844, Bullitt sold his interest in the Bee and purchased interest in the New Orleans Picayune. He edited and published the Picayune until 1849. In addition to his newspaper activities, Bullitt served in the Louisiana State Legislature and on the New Orleans City Council. He supported Zachary Taylor in the presidential election of 1848, and after Taylor's victory, moved to Washington to edit the Washington Republic, which became the official organ of the Taylor administration. In May 1850, Bullitt left the Republic in a dispute over patronage and the Compromise of 1850. He also retired from the Picayune, though he remained associated with the Picayune until 1861. From 1850 to 1854, Bullitt traveled in Europe. After returning from his European tour, Bullitt divided his time between a plantation in Washington County, Mississippi and a townhouse in Louisville. He married twice, the first time to heiress Fanny Smith, and the second time in March 1859 to Irene Williams, with whom he had one daughter. In 1860, Bullitt was living in Louisville's Ward Three and owned real property valued at $132,000 and a personal estate of $191,000.

Obituary, The Daily Picayune (New Orleans, LA), 9 June 1868, 1:3; Elbert B. Smith, The Presidencies of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1988), 57-58; Kathleen Jennings, Louisville's First Families: A Series of Genealogical Sketches (Louisville: Standard, 1920), 29; Today in New Orleans History, http://www.neworleanspast.com/todayinneworleanshistory/june6.html, accessed 15 October 2020; Gravestone, Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Ward 3, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY, 90.