John Slidell

John Slidell (1793 – July 9, 1871) was an American politician, lawyer, slaveholder, and businessman. A native of New York, Slidell moved to Louisiana as a young man. He was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He was one of two Confederate diplomats captured by the United States Navy from the British ship RMS Trent in 1861 and later released. He was the older brother of Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, a U.S. naval officer.