Delphine LaLaurie
Marie Delphine Macarty or MacCarthy (March 19, 1787 – December 7, 1849), more commonly known as Madame Blanque or, after her third marriage, as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans socialite and serial killer who was believed to have tortured and murdered slaves in her household.
Delphine LaLaurie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marie Delphine Macarty March 19, 1787 New Orleans, Spanish Louisiana |
| Died | December 7, 1849 (aged 62) Paris, France (disputed) |
| Other names | Marie Delphine LaLaurie, Marie Delphine Macarty LaLaurie, Delphine Macarty LaLaurie, Delphine Maccarthy LaLaurie, Madame LaLaurie |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Known for | Suspected of torturing and killing of numerous enslaved people, discovered in 1834 |
| Spouses | Don Ramón de Lopez y Angulo
(m. 1800; died 1804)Jean Blanque
(m. 1808; died 1816)Dr. Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie
(m. 1825) |
| Children | 5 |
Born during the Spanish colonial period, LaLaurie married three times in Louisiana and was twice widowed. She maintained her position in New Orleans society until April 10, 1834, when rescuers responded to a fire at her Royal Street mansion. They discovered bound slaves in her attic who showed evidence of cruel, violent abuse over a long period. LaLaurie's house was subsequently sacked by an outraged mob of New Orleans citizens. She escaped to France with her family.
The mansion traditionally held to be LaLaurie's is a landmark in the French Quarter, in part because of its history and for its architectural significance. However, her house was burned by the mob, and the "LaLaurie Mansion" at 1140 Royal Street was in fact rebuilt after her departure from New Orleans.