January 16, 1891: Charle d’Autremont nominated for mayor

On this day in Duluth in 1891, attorney Charles d’Autremont was nominated as Duluth’s Democratic candidate for mayor. The Duluth News Tribune reported that in his acceptance speech, d’Autremont promised that if elected his administration would be “satisfactory to the business interests and men of Duluth.” The press pressed the candidate about the enforcement of liquor laws, an issue much in the news as the incumbent mayor, Marcus Davis, “crusaded against all loose practices.” D’Autremont said “he would pursue neither a ‘wide-open’ policy nor a ‘puritanical’ policy. He then asked reporters not to use the term “puritanical” and asked that they instead write “a strict enforcement of the laws.” d’Autremont won the election, and his administration was later described as “efficient and progressive.” For the rest of his life he was considered one of the leading Democrats of the region. There’s much more to the life of Charles d’Autremont, and you can read it here.

Charles d’Autremont (Image; Duluth Public Library)