John B. Esnard was born in 1846, in
New Orleans, to a slaveholder, He served during the
American Civil War in the
Union Army. Along with
P. B. S. Pinchback,
O. C. Blandin and
Auguste Donato Jr., he signed the new constitution but registered protest against Article 99, which they believed went against their
Radical Republican support of universal suffrage. Esnard and Demarest were then elected to represent St. Mary Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives. One source erroneously claims that he represented the
Iberia Parish in the
Louisiana State Senate from 1870 until 1876. Esnard was married to Florentine K. Esnard, and had four sons and three daughters. He moved to
Los Angeles , dying there on July 2, 1931, aged 84 or 85. He was buried at
Calvary Cemetery. ==See also==