Merchant, slaveholder, recluse, miser, millionaire benefactor of New Orleans and Baltimore public schools. Founder of McDonoghville (Algiers and Gretna).

Legends passed down in New Orleans Public Schools include extreme reclusive and miserly behavior. One Louisiana history teacher told the story about how McDonogh chose not to pay the ferry fee to cross the river. Instead he rowed his own boat each day to commute between work and home. There may be some elements of truth in this story. The critical item overlooked  in the story is that because he was a slave owner it is almost certain he did not row himself.

On December 29, 1838 he signed a will that promised half of his huge estate for the education of white and free black youth in New Orleans (the other half went to Baltimore for the same purpose). After he died in 1843 and after the significant drop in land values caused by the Civil War, New Orleans received $703,000 (equal to about $10 million in current dollars) from his estate. This endowment ultimately enabled creation of 30 schools across the city.

McDonogh was remembered each year in a McDonogh Day celebration held in May. McDonogh Day celebrations were attended by students as late as 1963. Typically the school choral group and sixth graders were bused to Gallier Hall for end of year awards, songs and rememberance of McDonogh's extraordinary contribution.

Today after significant popular efforts to erase the memory of slavery and segregation McDonogh is being forgotten. All but seven of the schools named for him have been renamed and McDonogh Day is no longer observed. Of the seven, six of are still operating post K (3 charters, 3 by RSD, and 1 under NOPS).


New Orleans CDC article

Wikipedia