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The good doctor from Canada
Dr. Nicholas Labadie

by Wanda Orton
Wanda Orton

As we turn pages of Texas history, the name of Chambers County pioneer Nicholas Labadie keeps showing up.

He seemed to be everywhere – practicing medicine in Anahuac, running a pharmacy, farming at Lake Charlotte, fighting at San Jacinto, operating sailing vessels, helping to build the first Catholic church in Galveston – and yet he’s not one of those highly recognized, publicized, idolized figures in Texas history. Nicholas Labadie never is mentioned on the History Channel, and, to my knowledge, historians never write books about him.

Maybe they should.

Let’s look at who he was and what he did, and then decide whether this French Canadian-turned-Texian needs an upgrade in recognition, a boost up the ladder of fame.

A native of Windsor, Ontario, Labadie came to Texas in 1831 with credentials of a physician and pharmacist, plus the ability to speak two extra languages, French and Spanish.

Perhaps that far-and-away part of Mexico, drawing colonists from the U.S., could use a man like Dr. Labadie.

As soon as the good doctor arrived in Anahuac, Col. Juan Bradburn hired him as the post surgeon for the Mexican garrison.

Likely, Labadie didn’t know what he was getting into. Rebellion was brewing against Mexican rule, with the citizens aiming their wrath squarely on the military shoulders of Bradburn.

An Anglo himself (John Bradburn, born in Virginia, fought in the War of 1812), Juan Bradburn said he was just following orders in enforcing customs laws, imposing tariffs, checking land titles, etc.

Once allowed to do their own thing, the Anahuac Anglos complained that the colonel was a despot; they longed for the good old days before “Big Bad Bradburn” took over.

Chief ring leaders against Juan/John were William B. Travis and Patrick Jack, who practiced law in Anahuac. Long story short, they landed in the slammer at Fort Anahuac and were rescued by a legion of supporters. Bradburn was run out of town.

What was Labadie to make of all this. A peaceful man who once studied for the priesthood, Labadie nevertheless decided to take sides in the conflict. Bradburn had angered him, too, when he fired him as post surgeon only a few months after hiring him.

Labadie could always make a living, though. Besides practicing medicine, he was a merchant in business with Charles Willcox. And he soon would be adding farming and ranching to his resume, relocating from downtown Anahuac to a plantation on the shore of Lake Charlotte north of Wallisville.

By the time the Texian rebellion ballooned into a full revolt, Labadie joined a militia in Liberty.

Labadie fought under Gen. Sidney Sherman throughout the battle at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, but as soon as it was over, he took care of the wounded from both armies, Texan and Mexican. A make-shift hospital was set up in the home of Texas Vice President Lorenzo de Zavala directly across Buffalo Bayou from San Jacinto.

After Santa Anna was captured, Labadie was the first interpreter in the Mexican general’s meeting with Sam Houston. Lorenzo de Zavala Jr. then took over as the official interpreter so the doctor could get back to his patients.

After the war, the soldier/surgeon returned home to Lake Charlotte to find that his young son had died and looters had ransacked his home and destroyed his cattle.

Two years later Labadie would be reinventing his life in Galveston. Besides continuing his work the medical field, he invested in real estate, ran a boarding house and helped to build the first Catholic Church (St. Mary’s) in Galveston.

Trading his plantation on Lake Charlotte to Michel Menard for Galveston wharf rights, he built Labadie’s Wharf near the foot of 26th Street and ran a line of sailing vessels.

During the Civil War he served as an examining physician for draftees. A leader in the Howard Association, a disaster relief organization for yellow fever victims, he was a renowned authority on the treatment of yellow fever.

He died on March 13, 1867, and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Galveston.

Now that we know more about the man, what’s the verdict? Texas hero?

Dr. Nicholas Labadie gets my vote.



© Wanda Orton Baytown Sun Columnist, July 5, 2014 column
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