| 1830 November 24 |
Born in Klingemünster, Bavaria and immigrated with mother and four siblings to New York and then to Texas. | 1840 | When he was about ten the family settled in New Orleans. | 1841 | His mother dies from yellow fever. | 1849 | Graduates from City High School and starts reading law under Christian Roselius, a prominent Whig attorney. | 1851 April 7 |
Graduates from the University of Louisiana (Tulane University). | 1852 | Elected to the city school board at age 22 years and ran the school system as its director. He joins the Democratic party faction lead by Pierre Soulé. | 1856 | Supports Stephen Douglas (vs. Buchanan). Hahn is a bitter opponent of slavery and secession. | 1860 May 8 |
Hahn delivers pro-Union speech in Lafayette Square. He has avoided taking an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. | 1862 April 25 |
Hahn allies himself with the Federal government. | 1862 | Becomes the U. S. Representative from the 2nd Congressional District of Louisiana. Benjamin Franklin Flanders is the1st District Representative. | 1863 | Seated February 3 in the 37th Congress which is adjourned March 4, 1863. After the trip to Washington he returns to advise no more representation from Louisiana until it is reconstructed. He is met by and befriends Abraham Lincoln. | 1863 | June to November there is no Federal progress on Reconstruction. | 1864 February 22 |
State elections are held and a constitutional convention
is called. Benjamin
Franklin Flanders and Thomas Jefferson Durant, prominent and radical
Unionists, oppose the plan called for by General Banks. Hahn purchases a pro slavery newspaper the New Orleans True Delta and converts it to moderate Unionism supporting Bank’s plan. Hahn wins the election with 54% or 11,411 votes. J. Q. A. Fellows, a conservative gets 26% or 2,996 votes and Benjamin Franklin Flanders, the radical gets 20% or 2,232 votes. Lincoln adds powers to Hahn’s office. |
1864 March 4 |
Inauguration. Hahn tries to give vote to the blacks, but can only adopt the 15th Amendment. He plays a leading role in the state constitutional convention of 1864, but he is opposed by Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut who has replaced Banks as commander of the Department of the Gulf. |
1865 January |
Hahn is elected U. S. Senator and accepts since Hurlbut refuses to recognize any civil government. | 1865 March 3 |
Resigns as governor. While he served as governor, Hahn laid the foundations of black enfranchisement and a black school system and began reconstruction. | 1865 April |
After Lincoln is assassinated Congress refuses to seat any representatives or senators from the South. Hahn returns to New Orleans, allies himself with radicals and calls for a convention to revise the Constitution of 1864 to include black suffrage. |
1866 July 30 |
Hahn is nearly murdered at a New Orleans Police riot. | 1867 | He is the editor and manager of the New Orleans Republican newspaper. | 1872 | Hahn moves to a plantation in St. Charles Parish, establishes the village of Hahnville and publishes the St. Charles Herald. He is still a public school director and serves as the president of a Louisiana state educational convention. | 1871-1878 | Hahn is elected to the state legislature and will be re-elected in 1874 and 1876. There he serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and Speaker of the House. | 1875-1876 | Speaker of the Louisiana State House of Representatives . | 1876 August 15 |
Appointed the State Registrar of Voters. | 1878 June |
Superintendent of the U. S. Mint until January 1879. | 1879 | Judge 26th Judicial District which included St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes. | 1880 | During elections establishes and edits the New Orleans Ledger to promote Republican candidates. | 1884 | Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional District and wins by 1,300 votes.U. S. Representative from Louisiana | 1886 March 15 |
Dies in his room at the Willard Hotel in Washington D. C. with a ruptured vessel near his heart. He is buried in Metairie. He dies broke and has never married. |