HNOC, LHA select “Pinchback: America’s First Black Governor” for 2025 Williams Prize
Author Nicholas Patler sheds new light on the life of an influential leader in Reconstruction-era Louisiana.
New Orleans (March 11, 2026)—The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) and the Louisiana Historical Association (LHA) are pleased to announce Nicholas Patler’s Pinchback: America’s First Black Governor (University Press of Mississippi) as the winner of the 2025 Kemper and Leila Williams Prize in Louisiana History.
In this deeply researched and gracefully written work, Patler explores the life of P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921), who was born to a formerly enslaved mother and a white planter father and went on to serve as governor of Louisiana. While Pinchback’s tenure as governor was brief—a mere 35 days—he remains one of the most prominent African American officeholders of the Reconstruction era. Yet despite being a pivotal figure in the post–Civil War South, attempts to tell his story have been incomplete. From the powerful influence of a mother who had spent half of her life in bondage, to the ambiguity of racial identity in Pinchback’s life and world, to a political career that was as tumultuous and rich as any in American history, Patler’s humanizing portrait provides a more complex and complete picture of Pinchback’s life and of Reconstruction in Louisiana. Pinchback is a brief book that makes an immense contribution.
Nicholas Patler is a historian and the author of Jim Crow and the Wilson Administration: Protesting Federal Segregation in the Early Twentieth Century. He holds a master’s degree from Harvard University Extension School and Bethany Theological Seminary.
The paperback book, which retails for $25.00, is available for purchase at the Shop at the Collection, located at 520 Royal Street in New Orleans. The book can also be purchased online at shophnoc.com or by calling (504) 598-7147.
Named for the founders of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Kemper and Leila Williams Prize is offered annually by HNOC and the LHA. Since its inception in 1974, the prize has recognized excellence in research and writing on Louisiana history. Each year’s winner receives a cash award and a plaque and is announced at the LHA’s annual meeting. The organization held its 68th annual meeting March 5–7, 2026, in Lafayette.
A list of past Williams Prize recipients and application information for next year’s prize are available on HNOC’s website. Eligible works must explore an aspect of Louisiana history and culture or place Louisiana subjects in a regional, national, or international context. The deadline for 2026 Williams Prize submissions is December 1, 2026.
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About the Louisiana Historical Association
The Louisiana Historical Association promotes excellence in scholarship, teaching, and dissemination of research in all areas of Louisiana history; encourages study and teaching of other areas of history; fosters inclusion of all practitioners of history; and advocates for the responsible stewardship of all cultural resources. Since 1960, the LHA has published the quarterly journal Louisiana History, which is consistently ranked as one of the top state-level historical journals in the country.
About the Historic New Orleans Collection
Founded in 1966, the Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. The publishing wing boasts a catalog of more than 40 books about Gulf South history, culture, art, and much more. For more information, visit hnoc.org, call (504) 523-4662, or follow HNOC on Facebook and Instagram.
Purchase the Book
Williams Prize
Awarded annually by HNOC and the Louisiana Historical Association, the Kemper and Leila Williams Prize in Louisiana History highlights excellence in research and writing on Louisiana history.
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