William John Wegmann

1923 - 2011  (87 years)

• Name	William John Wegmann
  Born	23 Jun 1923	New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Died	11 Mar 2011	Metairie, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA   [5]
  Buried	Y  [6]
  Person ID	I17676	Suedpfalz
  Last Modified	20 Aug 2016

  
  

  Father	John Xavier Wegmann,   b. 24 Dec 1878, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA ,   d. 10 Dec 1945, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA  (Age 66 years)
  Mother	Sophia Josephine Bonhage,   b. 14 Feb 1880, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA ,   d. 5 Nov 1928, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA  (Age 48 years)
  Married	18 Feb 1901	New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA   [7]
  Family ID	F8627	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lolita Del Pilar Martinez,   b. 12 Jul 1924, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA ,   d. 16 Feb 2020, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA  (Age 95 years)
  Married	12 Aug 1947	New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA   [8]
  Children	1. William John Wegmann   2. Lorraine Marie Wegmann   3. Stephen George Wegmann   4. Monica Elizabeth Wegmann   5. Sophie Margaret Wegmann   6. Gretchen Irene Wegmann   7. Paul Raymond Wegmann   8. Mary Catherine Wegmann,   b. New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA ,   d. New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA
  Last Modified	6 Jul 2020
  Family ID	F8883	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  illiam Wegmann Sr., a New Orleans lawyer who was a member of the team that successfully defended businessman Clay Shaw during District Attorney Jim Garrison's sensational -- and, ultimately, futile -- investigation of John F. Kennedy's assassination, died Saturday at his Metairie home. He was 87. Mr. Wegmann, a lifelong New Orleanian, was a defense attorney and a former assistant district attorney. He became involved in the Shaw case because his brother Edward, a specialist in civil matters, had been Shaw's longtime attorney. william.wegman.JPG William Wegmann Sr. When Shaw called Edward Wegmann in 1967 to tell him he had been arrested on conspiracy charges, Edward Wegmann turned to his brother because of Mr. Wegmann's experience with criminal law, said Lorraine Wegmann Bisso, one of his daughters. F. Irvin Dymond, a New Orleans lawyer, led the defense team. After a sensational trial that attracted global attention, the jury deliberated only one hour before acquitting Shaw in 1969. No one else was ever charged. Those two years were tough on Mr. Wegmann and his family, his children said. "There was a certain amount of heightened interest in this particular case," said William Wegmann Jr., one of Mr. Wegmann's sons. "Dad had to work pretty hard to insulate us from public attention, and we worked hard at home to insulate him, to give him whatever privacy he could get." At home, Bisso said, she and her siblings were told to be extra-careful when they answered the door or the telephone. "We learned to be very circumspect," she said. Even though reporters from around the planet were descending on New Orleans, Mr. Wegmann couldn't address their queries because there was a gag order forbidding anyone connected with the case to comment publicly. Even if he had wanted to do so, he wouldn't have had much time, William Wegmann Jr. said, because he was taking care of his regular clients since he knew Shaw couldn't afford to pay his attorneys for the time they were putting in. Defending Shaw "was a matter of professional responsibility and dedication to the profession," said the younger Wegmann, who also is a lawyer. Given all these circumstances, as well as crank calls to the Wegmann house that became common, "it was a very stressful time," he said. "I did as much as I could to avoid the public eye and shield us from media attention. We tried to lead a natural life under the circumstances." Mr. Wegmann, the youngest of 11 sons, graduated from Jesuit High School and enrolled at Loyola University. But he interrupted his college education to enlist in the Army after the United States entered World War II. He was deployed to the Pacific Theater, where he was part of an amphibious tractor-tank battalion attached to the Marines. Mr. Wegmann was involved in campaigns on the Marianas and the islands of Tinian and Saipan. When he returned to the United States, he went to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Mr. Wegmann earned a law degree from Loyola in 1948 and went to work as an assistant district attorney under Herve Racivitch. Mr. Wegmann and Racivitch went into private practice after leaving the prosecutor's office. With Guy Johnson and Warren Mouledoux, they founded the firm Racivitch, Johnson, Wegmann and Mouledoux. Mr. Wegmann later was a founding member of Wegmann and Adams. His clients included Bohn Ford, J.J. Krebs and Sons and the Louisiana State Board of Optometry Examiners. He retired after Hurricane Katrina. A part-time teacher at Loyola College of Law, Mr. Wegmann wrote "Banks and Banking in Louisiana," a 1951 treatise that traced the history of banking in Louisiana from the colonial period through 1950. He was a founding member of the local chapter of the St. Thomas More Society, an organization for Catholic lawyers, and was a member of the Metairie Country Club and the Pickwick Club. Survivors include his wife, Lolita del Pilar Martinez Wegmann; three sons, William Wegmann Jr., Stephen Wegmann and Paul Wegmann; four daughters, Gretchen Wegmann Smith of Houston and Lorraine Wegmann Bisso, Monica Wegmann Smith and Sophie Margaret Wegmann; a brother, Dr. Francis Wegmann; and six grandchildren. A Mass will be said Friday at 2 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will begin at noon. Burial will be private.

  
  

• Sources

  [S25] 1930 US Federal Census, (www.ancestry.com). [S46] U.S. Public Records Index, (Ancestry.Com). Name: William J Wegmann Birth Date: 28 Jun 1923 Street address: 11 Fairview CT City: Metairie County: Jefferson State: Louisiana Zip Code: 70005 Phone Number: 504-835-8208 Record Number: 286686726 [S26] 1940 US Federal Census. [S8] Information from an informant - Auskunft eines Informanten - Information d'un informateur. Comments: I would like to contribute to the Fabacher family history with the following information:Family Member: William John Wegmann, son of John Xavier Wegmann(dec.), married to Sophie Bonhage.William J. Wegmann, Esq. (dec.) (Loyola of NOLA; LLB)New Orleans, LA 70124dob: 6/28/23dod: 3/29/11husband, ofLolita Martinez WegmannMetairie, LA 70005dob: 7/12/247 Children:1) William J. Wegmann, Jr. (Loyola BBA, Accounting; LSU JD)Metairie, LA 70005dob: 5/15/48Single; no children2) Lorraine Wegmann Bisso (LSU grad., history)New Orleans, LA 70005dob: 1/29/50Married 2/21/81 toRegel Bisso, Esq. (Tulane grad.,music and JD)dob: 12/24/451 childEmily Bisso, single (B.A., psychology and journalism; Pace University, Masters in Education)dob: 1/15/84 (NY, NY)3) Stephen George Wegmann (Loyola N.O. psychology grad.)New Orleans, La 70124dob: 4/18/53married 5/27/83 toMary Ann Darr, Esq. (B.A., English; Loyola JD)dob: 11/11/531 child:Christopher Stephen Wegmann, SingleNew Orleans, LA 70124 (LSU student)dob: 2/07/914) Monica Elizabeth Wegmann Smith (LSU, B.S., speech and hearing therapy; LSU, Masters in same; MBA Tulane)New Orleans, LAdob: 4/23/55married toJames William Smith, MD (SMU grad.; MD from Tulane)dob: 7/22/562 children:Austin McRoberts Smith (SMU)dob: 3/6/92George William Smithdob: 1/9/95 (Ben Franklin H.S., NOLA)5) Sophie Margaret Wegmann, SingleMetairie, LA 70005dob: 1/19/57No children6) Gretchen Irene Wegmann Smith, Esq. (U. of Texas, deg. in finance; JD from Tulane)Houston, TXdob: 3/6/62married 9/23/95 toStephen John Smith (chemical engineering degree. MBA U. of Chicago)2 children:William Avery Smithdob: 3/5/99John Xavier Smithdob: 1/10/017) Paul Raymond Wegmann, Esq. (U. of Texas, BBA, finance; J.D. Loyola U of NO)Metairie, LA 70005married 11/11/00 toChristine Fontana Wegmann (B.A., communications, Loyola U. of NO; and JD from Loyola)No childrenI hope you will find this useful.I am also going to look at what data the site may have on my 10 uncles to see if that is up to date as well.If you need additional information or verification, please do not hesitate to contact me.Once again, thanks.Best regards, Bill WegmannWilliam John Wegmann, Jr. William John Wegmann [S8] Information from an informant - Auskunft eines Informanten - Information d'un informateur. Proposed Change: William John Wegmann (I209879) Tree: Suedwestpfalz Link: http://www.birkenhoerdt.net/getperson.php?personID=I209879&tree=1 Description: I am William John Wegmann, Jr., born May 15,1948 in New Orleans, LA. On November 15, 2014 I married Desiree St. Paul in New Orleans, LA. Neither of us have children. We currently live in Metairie, LA. I am the son of William J. Wegmann (6/23/1923) who passed away in Metairie, LA 70005 on March 11, 2011. Metairie is a suburb of New Orleans. I am the son of Lolita Del Pilar Martinez (b. 1924) who is still alive. I am the brother of Lorraine Wegmann Bisso, Stephen George Wegmann, Monica Elizabeth Wegmann Smith, Sophie Margaret Wegmann, Gretchen Irene Wegmann Smith, and Paul Raymond Wegmann. All of the children are alive. Lorraine is married to Regel Bisso. Metairie, LA Stephen is married to Mary Ann Darr. New Orleans, LA Monica is married to Dr. James Smith. New Orleans, LA Sophie is single. Metairie, LA Gretchen is married to Steve Smith. Houston, TX Paul is married to Christine Fontana. Metairie, LA Emily Bisso is the daughter of Lorraine and Regel Bisso. Christopher Wegmann is the son of Steve and Mary Ann. Austin Smith and George Smith are the sons of Monica and Dr. Jim Smith. William Smith and John (Jack) Smith are the sons of Gretchen and Steve Smith. Thank you! William J. Wegmann, Jr. [S927] Obituary. William John Wegmann ? |???Visit Guest Book WEGMANN William John Wegmann, known as Bill or Billy to his family and friends, entered the gates of Heaven on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the age of 87. Beloved husband of Lolita del Pilar Martinez Wegmann, they married on August 12, 1947. He was predeceased by his parents, John Xavier Wegmann in 1946 and Sophia J. Bonhage Wegmann. He is the youngest of eleven (11) brothers, being predeceased by George Wegmann and his wife Irene, August Wegmann (Ursula), John X. Wegmann, Jr. (Marie Louise), Charles Wegmann (Claire), Msgr. Anthony Wegmann, Joseph Wegmann (Kay), Leo Wegmann (Ann), Msgr. Raymond Wegmann, and Edward Wegmann. He is survived by his brother Dr. Francis Wegmann (Joyce, deceased), sister-in-law Shirley Wegmann (Edward), brother-in-law Ben Martinez, sister-in-law Elsie Martinez, and sister-in-law Gloria Martinez; by his children: William J. Wegmann, Jr., Lorraine M. Bisso (Regel Bisso), Stephen G. Wegmann (Mary Ann Darr), Monica E. Smith, (James Smith, M.D.), Sophie M. Wegmann, Gretchen W. Smith (Stephen Smith), and Paul R. Wegmann (Christine Fontana); and by his grandchildren: Emily M. Bisso, Christopher S. Wegmann, Austin M. Smith, George W. Smith, William A. Smith, and John X. Smith. His daughter, Mary Catherine Wegmann, predeceased him. He is also survived by a large number of nieces and nephews who comprise the Wegmann and Martinez families. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to visit at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. (in Metairie Cemetery), on Friday, April 1, 2011 from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM and may attend the Memorial Mass at 2:00 PM. Interment, in Metairie Cemetery, will be private. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Jesuit High School Scholarship Fund, Class of 1940, or to St. Mary's Assumption Church, New Orleans, LA. To sign and view the Family Guestbook, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com. Published in The Times-Picayune on March 30, 2011 [S246] New Orleans, Louisiana Marriage Records Index, 1831-1925. Name: John Xavier Wegmann Spouse: Sophia Josephine Bonhage Age: 23Age: 21 Gender: MMarriage Date: 18 Feb 1901 Volume: 22 Page: 822 [S824] New Orleans, Louisiana, Marriage Records Index, 1831-1964. NameLolita D MartinezGenderFemaleMarriage DateAug 1947Marriage PlaceNew Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, USASpouseWilliam J WegmannHousehold Members