“D” is for DeLeon, Edwin (1818-1891). Diplomat, writer. A native of Charleston, DeLeon grew up in Columbia, graduated from South Carolina College, and was admitted to the bar. From 1842-1848 he co-edited the Savannah Republican that drew the attention of Southern Democrats in Washington. He was invited to Washington to co-edit the proslavery publication Southern Press. In 1853 he was appointed diplomatic agent and consul general to Egypt, a post he held until 1861. He ran the blockade in New Orleans and made his way to Richmond. In 1862 he was appointed diplomatic agent for the Confederacy in Europe. In France he argued the Southern cause and defended slavery but was unable to secure official French support. After the war Edwin DeLeon returned to America and helped reestablish the Democratic Party in the South.
“D” is for DeLeon, Edwin (1818-1891)
