Henry P. Julien Jr.

1948 - 2019

Henry P. Julien, Jr. was born on January 24, 1948 in New Orleans, LA. He was the oldest son of Henry P. Julien, Sr. and Esther Barra Julien. He attended St. Peter Claver , graduated from St. Augustine High School and went on to obtain his bachelor's degree in political science from Xavier University and his law degree from Columbia University. Upon graduating from Columbia University in 1972, he started working in the Attorney General's office in Baton Rouge. He achieved many "firsts" as an African American, including being one of the first full time African-American Assistant Attorney Generals in the State of Louisiana, the first full-time African American Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans and the first African American General Counsel for the Commissioner of Insurance. Henry had a long and prolific legal career, practicing law for more than 50 years. In 1989, he and his wife Ethel Julien created the Julien & Julien law firm where they practiced together for many years until Ethel was elected to serve on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in 1995. In 1999, Henry became a member of the Kullman Firm, taking a brief hiatus in 2018 to serve as Judge Pro Tem on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Henry and Ethel were the first husband and wife to serve simultaneously on the same court in the State of Louisiana. Although Henry loved to litigate, he had many other passions. He recognized the power of the spoken and written word and used it to effect change. A champion of the underdog from 1969 to 1970, he was part of a group of writers for The Plain Truth, (part of the Free Southern Theater) a newspaper that advocated for justice in the Black community in New Orleans. He continued to be vocal about his opinions in his many letters published in The Times Picayune, often writing about issues of race, politics and economics in New Orleans (including campaigning in favor of the desegregation of the Mardi Gras krewes and the changing of the names of public schools). His activism was not limited to paper. He was a true civil rights activist, working alongside State Representative Avery Alexander to successfully advocate for the displacement of the Liberty Monument, in a precursor to the larger movement many years later to remove statues and symbols which memorialized racial injustice and violence against African Americans. He was the chair of a committee appointed by the New Orleans School Board to rewrite the rules for magnet school admissions in order to rebalance a system to give equal access to all students in Orleans Parish. In addition, he worked with many organizations and served on many boards, including the WVUE Public Access Television Network and the Industrial Development Board. Henry was a devoted family man who enjoyed spending time with his immediate and extended family. He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry P. Julien, Sr. and Esther Barra Julien. He is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Ethel S. Julien, his three daughters, Denise Julien Diallo (son-in-law, Aliou), Elizabeth Julien and Tiffany Julien; his grandchildren, Oumou, Lea and Henry; his siblings, Lynn Hoggatt (John), Janet Julien, Sandra Wheeler (Jeff), David Julien (Theresa) and Wayne Julien, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Class of '65 scholarship fund of St. Augustine High School - www.staugpurpleknights65.com. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Rita Catholic Church, 2729 Lowerline St., New Orleans, LA on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 10 AM. Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation 9 AM IN THE CHURCH. Please sign guestbook online @ charbonnetfuneralhome.com Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors (504)581-4411