Louis Congo was an enslaved African man who was freed in 1725 from the Company of the Indies by Louisiana officials and who was appointed public executioner.
[1][2] He served in this office for at least twelve years and was granted the authority to execute punishments to not only fellow Africans but also white settlers.
[1] Court records indicate that, on multiple occasions, Congo's position made him the target of vicious attacks, as he was brutally beaten at least twice.
[1] He and the attorney general sought thorough investigation and punishment in these cases, with it being stated that "the life of said Congo would not be secure if such murderous thugs ... were tolerated.
[2] If, as his name indicates, he did come from the region of the Congo Basin, records suggest that he was brought to the Americas in 1721 aboard la Neréide, which was the only ship known to have traveled from Cabinda, Angola, to Biloxi in the French colony.