Theodore Gaillard Hunt (October 23, 1805 – November 15, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives representing the state of Louisiana. From 1853 to 1855, he served one term as a Whig. In 1854, he ran for re-election and lost as a candidate of the American (Know-Nothing) Party.

Biography

Hunt was born in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to being a member of Congress, Hunt was district attorney for New Orleans, member of the state House of Representative for sixteen years, and later a judge. During his tenure in congress he is notable as one of the few Southerners to have opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Civil War

During the American Civil War, Hunt was the colonel of the rebel 5th Louisiana Infantry in 1861-62 and later a brigadier general in the Louisiana militia. After New Orleans fell into Union hands, Hunt, who had opposed secession, resigned from the Confederate Army and became Adjutant General of Union Louisiana.

Death

He died on November 15, 1893, at the age of 88.