Mobilian to Know: Octavia LeVert

Lydia Craft, a docent at the Oakleigh Historic Complex in Mobile, Ala., tells the story of Octavia Walton LeVert, a 19th century socialite and writer. (Mike Brantley/mbrantley@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama – Octavia Walton Le Vert wasn’t a native Mobilian and ended up leaving town under sad circumstances in the bitter years after the Civil War, but her legacy endures as our ultimate hostess and one of our early best-selling authors.

Le Vert was born near Augusta, Ga., and came to the Gulf Coast with her family when her father, George Walton Jr., was appointed Florida's first territorial secretary in 1821.

From an early age, she was skilled at learning languages, and helped her father in his work by translating French and Spanish documents into English.

After her marriage to Dr. Henry Strachey Levert, she traveled widely and met many of the crowned heads of Europe. She entertained well-known political figures and other luminaries from across the nation at her lovely mansion on Government Street.

Her home is long gone, but some of her possessions, and her iconic portrait as a young debutante, are on display at Oakleigh Mansion.

Here are a few highlights from her life and career.

Famous Mobilians

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Mobile's history is dotted with interesting people. There are the well-knowns, such as Joe Cain, Hank Aaron and Jimmy Buffet. But what about the noteworthy Mobilians – present and past – who are not as well known? That's who we aim to highlight with this series. Send your suggestions for the "Famous Mobilians You Should Know” series to mobilenews@al.com

Name: Madame Octavia Walton Le Vert

Her life and times: Born Aug. 11, 1811, near Augusta, Ga.; moved to Mobile with her parents in 1835, where she met and married Dr. Henry Strachey Levert in 1836; gave birth to five children, only two of whom lived to adulthood; moved back to Augusta after the war and died March 12, 1877.

Independent streak: After her marriage to Dr. Levert, who spelled his last name as one word, she decided she would be known as Madame, not Mrs., and would use the original French spelling of her husband's last name.

Career highlights: Quintessential Southern hostess who reigned over Mobile society before the Civil War, giving lavish parties in her mansion downtown on Government Street and entertaining notables from America and Europe; author of "Souvenirs of Travel" in two volumes, about her sojourns to Europe in 1853 and 1855, which went through four printings after it was published in 1857 by S.H. Goetzel & Co. in Mobile; joined the newly formed Mount Vernon Ladies' Association in 1857 to save George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.

Encounters with the rich and famous: Madame Le Vert's pen pals included Henry Clay, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe and Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard. She was so close to Clay, who visited her in Mobile in 1844, that she wrote a eulogy for his funeral, for which Irving commended her. Millard Fillmore, the 13th U.S. president, was her escort at some of her appearances at soirees in Europe. During her travels, she was presented to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in London; joined the guests at the court of Napoleon III in Paris; and attended the New York ball in honor of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. She was also a guest of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Florence.

Quotables: In an 1862 letter to Madame Le Vert from Charleston, Beauregard wrote: "I regret to hear that you are in a state of agitation at the demonstration of the Yankees in front of your bay – they will not do much until their 'iron-clads' are ready … but not to tremble; for by that time Mobile could be made next to impregnable."

In a letter home from London, reprinted in “Souvenirs of Travel,” Le Vert wrote: “Queen Victoria is much handsomer than painters have represented her.” She also described a bullfight she attended in Havana as a “revolting spectacle.”

Her downfall: During the Civil War, Mobilians became suspicious that their society doyenne sympathized with the Yankees; at the very least, she was known to be opposed to secession. As the city received news of Appomattox, Le Vert committed a major faux pas when she ran to the nearby home of Adm. Raphael Semmes to cheer about Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender; legend has it that Semmes' daughter angrily asked her to leave the premises. Her attempts to befriend the occupying troops only made things worse; her neighbors were horrified when she entertained Yankee officers in her home. Along with many other wealthy Southerners, she became destitute after the war – her husband had died in 1864 – and she moved back to Augusta, where she died in 1877.

Legacy: The Le Verts' mansion has been demolished, but Dr. Levert's office at 153 Government St. has been preserved. It is now the headquarters of the Mobile Bar Association.

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