DUCHESNE, Leon Chesnier, journalist, was  born in Caldwell parish, La., Feb. 7, 1840. His grandfather, François Xavier Alexander Chesnier Duchesne, had two brothers, Alexander Chesnier and Romain Chesnier. Alexander was a baron and a colonel in the French army, commanded as general at one time during the revolution, and was at the battle of Waterloo. Romain was a proprietor, and to him descended the ancient domain of his father, Stanislas Xavier Chesuier Duchesne, a wealthy and distinguished advocate of the seventeenth century, who was despoiled of nearly all his wealth by the revolution, and so left his sons only 300,000 francs to be divided equally between them.

Leon's grandfather, François Xavier Chesnier Duchesne, aide-de-camp to the celebrated general, Charette (the Vendean chief and leader of the Bourbon cause in the war of La Vendée against the republic), for and in consideration of his services to the royal cause, received the grade of colonel of infantry, and a decoration (the cross of St. Louis). He died in 1824, at the age of sixty years, leaving four children, three sons and one daughter, Camille, Leon, Alexander, and Leonide. Camille was a professor of mathematics in some institution of learning in France. Leon was at the taking of Algiers by the French in 1830, since which time he has been in the government service as tax collector.

Ambroise Alexander Chesnier, Leon's father, was born in 1813, at Sainte Departement de la Charieut Inférieur, France, and was educated at Paris; served in the French and English merchant navy seven years, visiting the greater part of the world. He landed in New Orleans, La., in 1835, and a short time thereafter settled in Caldwell parish. La., was married four times, and had fifteen children. He was a farmer and merchant by occupation, and held a captain's commission of militia under Gov. Johnson. He died in May, 1872, an honest and exemplary citizen, who never violated his oath of allegiance to the constitution of the United States during the civil war. Leon's mother comes of an old family of the early settlers of St. Louis, Mo., by the name of Roy or Roe, many of whom are now living in that city.

The subject of this sketch was the offspring of his father's second marriage. He was raised on a farm, and received such a common-school education as the county afforded at the time. In September, 1802, he enlisted In the Confederate service, against his inclination, with the understanding that he was not to go out of the state. Aug. 24, 1863, after the fall of Vicksburg, Port Hudson and the invasion of the Mississippi by the Federal forces, he surrendered at Natchez, Miss., whence he went North, and remained until nearly the end of the war. After the war he served as mercantile clerk; engaged in business for himself; took an active part in the reconstruction of Mississippi in 1868-69; was appointed registrar of voters for his county under the reconstruction acts of congress, and a member of the public school board directory for Adams county, after the readmission of the state to the Union, and the reorganization of the state government, which position he held until the board was legislated out of power, and abolished. In 1874 he was nominated county assessor by a republican convention, and elected by over 1,000 majority, receiving a large white vote, but on being renominated in 1876, was defeated by ninety-six votes. In 1886 he established, as a tri-weekly paper, the Natchez "Banner," which he has sold out since. He is now proprietor and publisher of the Natchez " Republican," and publisher of the " Baptist Signal- Messenger. " He was nominated for the 51st congress by the republicans of the sixth Mississippi district, and received 4,500 votes, 2,500 of which were from his own county, the largest republican vote cast in the county since the days of reconstruction. Mr. Duchesne is married, and has six living children, four girls and two boys.