Francis Ernest Dumas (1837 – March 26, 1901) was a wealthy plantation owner and slaveholder of Louisiana.

He spoke five languages and had lived in France for some time, inheriting the sugar plantation upon his return.

[1] When the civil war began Dumas freed over 100 of his slaves and enlisted them as a company in the Union Army.

He was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1868 on the James G. Taliaferro ticket backed by publisher Louis Charles Roudanez.

[4] Dumas was initially a candidate for Louisiana Secretary of State on the 1872 Liberal Party Ticket, headed by D.B.