Murat, Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Papers by Alfred Jackson Hanna

Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Murat was born in Paris on January 21, 1801.  His father was Joachim Joseph Andre Murat, King of Naples.  His mother, Caroline Murat, nee Bonaparte, was the younger sister of Napleon. During the Risorgimento in Italy, Joachim Murat was killed and his family expelled.  Caroline Murat and her children fled to Austria in 1815, where they lived for many years.  Murat was put in the care of Thibaudeau, who was a supporter of Napoleon, and from him Murat learned to despise the reactionary system that dictated the course of European politics at that time.  Murat adopted republican ideas and bacame an avid supporter of the rights of man.  He dreamed of living in America because he believed that there was the true place where republican ideals were put into practice. In 1822 the Austrian government gave Murat the opportunity to go to America under the condition that he had to ask permission from the Austrian govenment should he wish to return.  He arrived in New York in 1823 and applied for citizenship.  He lived with his uncle, Joseph Bonaparte, the former King of Spain, in Bordentown, New Jersey, where he met Joseph Hopkinson, and through him other influential Americans in Philadelphia.  Murat was inspired by these people and began studying the American political system. Murat left Bordentown and began his travels in America.  In hopes to learn more about the AMerican political system, Murat went to Washington, D.C., where he learned about the great opportunities that the southern frontier had to offer.  Murat decided to go to Florida to begin a new life, a new career, and became an avid supporter of the South. In 1824 Murat bouth land near St. Augustine, the plantation Parthenope, where he grew tobacco.  Murat left Parthenope in 1825 and moved to Jefferson County, Florida.  There, he acquired land between Wacissa and Tallahassee and named the new plantation Lipona in honor of his mother (Lippona being an anagram of Napoli).  At Lipona he grew sugar and herded cattle. In 1826 Murat met and married Catharine Willis Gray from Virginia, the widowed great-grandniece of George Washington.  With her he traveled to Europe in 1831 in an attempt to re-enter political life; Murat believed that the revolution in July 1830 would have implications for Naples and perhaps open the door for the Murats once more. Murat joined the Belgian army and organized a foreign legion for them.  He took part in the campaign at Ath and remained there for two months.  After that, Murat took leave, rejoined his wife in London, and then the two returned to America. Once back in America Murat began staudying law intensively.  He was admitted to the bar and practiced in New Orleans and North Florida.  Governor William P. Duval, the territorial Governor of Florida, appointed Murat as judge of Jefferson County. Murat was involved in a myriad of activities--he was a lawyer, planter, county judge, candidate for office, Indian fighter, Vice Consul of Mexico for the ports of Florida, bank director, Postmaster, speculator in Texas lands, president of a canal company, translator, traveler, and author. Achille Murat died on April 18, 1847 at his plantation in Jefferson County.  He was buried at St. Johns Cemetery in Tallahassee.  After Murat's death, his wife was received as a guest at the court of France, but shortly returned to her plantation, now renamed Belle Vue, to live out the remainder of her days.  Catharine Murat died on August 6, 1867 and was buried next to her husband.

Note written by