Peter Youree

Peter Youree
Member and president, Caddo Parish Police Jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
In office 1884–1900
Preceded by	At-large jurors
Succeeded by	At-large jurors
Personal details
Born	April 23, 1843 Lafayette County Missouri, USA
Died	July 13, 1914 (aged 71) Shreveport, Caddo Parish Louisiana, USA
Resting place	Scottsville/Youree Cemetery in Scottsville, Texas
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Mary Elizabeth Scott Youree (married 1870)
Children	William Scott Youree Susie Rose Youree Lloyd
Occupation	Businessman Banker
Religion	Methodist

Youree Drive in Shreveport, named for Peter Youree, is among the busiest thoroughfares in the city.

Peter Youree (April 23, 1843 – July 13, 1914) was an American businessman and banker from Shreveport, Louisiana. He was president of the Louisiana Bankers Association from 1908 to 1909.

Biography

Youree was born in 1843 in Lafayette County in north central Missouri, to P. E. Youree and the former M. M. Zimmerman. He was locally educated and received mercantile training in his father's store.

He served with Missouri Confederate forces during the American Civil War and was wounded at Shiloh, a bloody battle fought near the Tennessee River in southern Tennessee. He rose to the rank of captain of Slayback's Missouri Rifles and surrendered his company at Shreveport.

Captain Youree was a member of the General Leroy Stafford Camp #3, United Confederate Veterans in Shreveport. He commissioned the Confederate monument at Greenwood Cemetery on Stoner Avenue in honor of his comrades who are interred there.

After the war, he decided to settle in Shreveport, the seat of government of Caddo Parish, where he opened a mercantile and real estate business. For a time he owned the Shreveport Street Railway and was president of the Shreveport Waterworks Company.

In 1888, Youree was elected president of the Merchants and Farmers Bank, and in 1891, he became president of the Commercial National Bank, a position which he held until his death. He served as president of the Louisiana Bankers Association from 1908-1909. In 1910 he directed the construction of Shreveport's first skyscraper, the ten-story Commercial National Bank Building, for its headquarters.

He also financed the construction of his massive Youree Hotel, later called the Washington Youree Hotel, in downtown Shreveport. In 1933, the Hotel was operated by Niagara Falls businessman Frank A. Dudley and the United Hotels Company.^[1] In 1954, the top of the hotel became the headquarters of television station KSLA, the CBS affiliate in Shreveport. At the time of his passing, Youree's wealth was estimated at $2 million.

Youree's former bank became a part of AmSouth Bancorporation of Birmingham, Alabama, which has now merged with Regions Financial Corp., also of Birmingham.

Marriage and family

On June 24, 1870, he married Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Scott of Scottsville in Harrison County, Texas, west of Shreveport. She was the daughter of Colonel W. T. Scott, a member of the Texas State Senate, whose family founded Scottsville. The couple had a son, William Scott Youree (1872–1904), and a daughter, Susie Rose Youree (1881–1974) (she later married a Mr. Lloyd).

Political career

Youree was also active in local politics. A Democrat, he was a member from 1884 to 1900 of the Caddo Parish Police Jury (renamed in 1984 the Caddo Parish Commission), some of that tenure as the police jury president. His colleagues included for a time future Mayor Andrew Querbes and later State Representative Perry Keith of Keithville.^[2]

Youree was a member of the First Methodist Church of Shreveport. His home on Fairfield Avenue, called "Youreeka," was a Shreveport showplace for many years.

He and his wife were interred at the Scottsville/Youree Cemetery in Scottsville, Texas. The cemetery is known for its replica of the acclaimed Weeping Angel or Angel of Grief statue, originally built by the Yourees to honor the grave of their son William Scott Youree, who was killed in Monterrey, Mexico.

Honors

• Youree Drive, a major thoroughfare in Shreveport, was named for Captain Youree. Youree Middle School bears his name.
• His wife, Mary Elizabeth Youree, (Betty) was a longtime president of the Shreveport Chapter #237, United Daughters of the Confederacy. A chapter of the Children of the Confederacy was named in her honor.

References

1. "Receivers Name for Hotel Firm". The New York Times. November 18, 1933. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
2. Veta Samuels, Caddo Parish, The History of the Caddo Parish Police Jury - Caddo Parish Commission since 1840

• "Peter Youree", A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 2 (1988) p. 868
• Washington Youree Hotel Shreveport, LA at www.cardcow.com
• Weeping Angel Statues Houston Scottsville and Denison Texas. at www.texasescapes.com
• Scottsville Texas and Scottsville Cemetery. at www.texasescapes.com
• Weeping Angel gravesite at findagrave.com