He eventually became part owner and the president of the Whitney Irons Works company of New Orleans from 1883 for the remainder of his life.
Pandely is known for being removed from public office as assistant alderman in New Orleans due to his African heritage in 1853.
The incident became known as the Pandelly Affair and forced the Dimitry Family to create a fictitious genealogy where their lineage was derived from Native Americans rather than African people which was a clear case of ethnocide.
While the Union forces controlled the South Pandely was able to take the position of assistant alderman under the governorship of Joshua Baker and then Henry C. Warmoth between 1868 and 1870.
His son-in-law Arthur W. De Roades along with other distinguished guests were present at his funeral ceremony and his pallbearers included Benjamin F. Jonas, Rudolph Matas.
[8] Creoles of color were persecuted by strict laws that disallowed holding public office and owning property.
On March 28, 1853, Pandely ran for the position of assistant alderman a role similar to a city council member.
[17][18] By the summer of 1853, the race issue had not concluded and the Committee on Elections appointed by the board permitted Pandely to become an assistant alderman.
[21] The Fourth District Court listened to the group of men that published the family background and decided to allow the board of assistant alderman to choose how to handle the Pandely issue.
[22] Three days later Pandely filed a civil suit asking for damages of 20,000 dollars because of slander against his social status.
[20] By February 1854, a civil suit entitled Pandelly v. Wiltz (1854) jeopardized the entire Dimitry Family's social status.
Witnesses recounted in one instance prominent members of the Dimitry family were removed from a ball because people of African descent were not admitted.
At the end of the trial, Pandely won the civil suit maintaining his social status but was not awarded the damages.
Three similar cases were Cauchoix v. Dupuy (1831), Bollumet v. Phillips (1842), and Dobard et al. v. Nunez (1851) dealing with race.
After these cases, the Dimitry family decided to claim descent from a fictitious, Native American chief's daughter of the Alibamu tribe named Malanta Talla to maintain their social status.
Both slaves belonged to Mr. Charles Daprémont de La Lande, a member of the Superior Council.
Historian Charles Gayarré continually insulted the Dimitry family and the entire Creole population due to evidence of African descent.
[2] At the onset of the American Civil War in 1861, Governor Thomas Overton Moore appointed Pandely Colonel of the Militia on the side of the Rebellion against the duly elected federal government.
Pandely did not serve in battle but because he was in control of the Pontchartrain Railroad he oversaw the transportation of supplies for Confederate forces.
By early 1868, because there was political turmoil in the South and federal troops were in control of the Southern states Pandely's name was added to the nomination for assistant alderman for New Orleans.
That summer he was also listed in newspapers as New Orleans recorder and the elected assistant city attorney was his brother-in-law Frank Michinard.
[34] The next year Pandely won reelection and by the summer of 1869, he was elected president of the board of assistant alderman.
His firstborn, Laura number one was born on Sept. 4, 1855, and married Arthur de Roaldes, physician and surgeon.