Gov. Heard's tea set will be auctioned

FO10's "What's it Worth" event peaked the interest of a number of appraisers, and a tea set was chosen to go to auction. The tea set belonged to former Louisiana Governor William W. Heard.

Governor Heard served Louisiana from 1900 to 1904. 

Charles Parmenter from Olde Mobile Antiques Gallery says a tea set like the governor's would usually remain in the governor's mansion upon his departure. But Heard was apparently fond of this tea set, and it has now been passed down in his family for generations.

Each piece of the Governor Heard Presentation Silver Tea and Coffee Service is engraved with a Louisiana pelican seal. It is circa 1900, and made by A.G. Schultz & Co. Baltimore. The set includes a teapot, coffee pot, creamer, sugar and waste bowl. The weight is approximately 86.8 oz.

Heard's great granddaughter wants to see the set displayed in a museum for others to enjoy as her family has through the years. The tea set is expected to go to auction in November. We will let you know where it ends up.

More about Former La. Gov. William W. Heard:
One of the noted achievements of Heard's term was forming the State Prison System, thus eliminating private contracted prisons. He also was instrumental in forming the State Department of Pest Control, thus trying to control the hated cotton weevil.

The Louisiana Revised Statutes specify that the Governor of the State of Louisiana shall determine the design of the official state seal. In order to standardize a design for the seal, Governor William Wright Heard instructed the Secretary of State to use a seal described as:

"A Pelican, with its head turned to the left, in nest with three young; the Pelican, following the tradition in act of tearing its breast to feed its young; around the edge of the seal to be inscribed 'State of Louisiana'. Over head of the Pelican to be inscribed 'Union, Justice', and under the Pelican to be inscribed 'Confidence'."

The description of the seal included the motto, Union, Justice, Confidence. Gov. William Heard chose the motto. This seal was adopted on April 30, 1902.