Louis Stanislaus Hargous (1809-1886)

He was born at Trenton, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University. He became a partner in his elder brother's firm, Hargous Brother's Shipping of New York City. Speaking six languages fluently including Spanish, during the 1830s and 40s Louis expanded their business interests in Veracruz, Mexico. He established L.S. Hargous & Co., Shipping; Hargous & La Serna, Banking; and, he and his brothers were partners in the Louisiana Tehuantepec Railroad Co. He served as U.S. Consul to Veracruz from 1842 to 1869. During the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-48) was commissioned as a Colonel in the U.S. Army and served on the staff of General Worth as financial agent of the U.S. Army, working closely with the army and navy to secure their presence in Veracruz to liaise with sympathetic Mexican forces. He returned to the States in the 1860s, first settling in Virginia during reconstruction and then as a banker at New Orleans before retiring to 435 Fifth Avenue, New York, in 1870. He made substantial donations to the Hahnemann Homeopathic Hospital in Rochester, New York, including the provision of free beds for those who could not afford treatment, and the hospital was subsequently renamed the Hargous Memorial Hahnemann Hospital of Rochester. He married Susan Gallagher and they were the parents of eight children, five of whom (listed) lived to adulthood.