FUCICH, SAMUEL Oysters
Samuel M. Fucich, was born on the island of Losinj in northern Dalmatia. He
was educated in the marine academies of Dalmatia where he was trained to serve as an officer in the merchant marine. He spoke nine languages. When he
first arrived in the United States he settled in Donaldsonville, Louisiana with his uncle and remained there for several years.
He moved to New Orleans in mid-1870s and opened an oyster shop on Calliope Street between Magnolia and Clara streets. In 1892 he moved to 530-32 Dumaine
Street where he dealt in shucked and in-shell oysters on a large scale. His shop extended through the block to Madison Street. As many as fifty oyster
fishermen supplied him with oysters. To facilitate the delivery and insure an ample supply of oysters, he had the Nestor Canal at Nestor, Louisiana, dug so
that the fishermen could bring them to the Mississippi River where the S.S. Grover Cleveland and the M.V. Reliance and other vessels could pick up
oysters and bring them to the Picayune Wharf in New Orleans. He constructed camps on either side of the canal where the fishermen lived, and operated his
business on a sort of sharecropper system where he would supply the oystermen with food, tools, and housing and they in turn would sell all their oysters
to him. He was the first Croatian oyster dealer. Many were to follow his example and buy oysters from their countrymen, but none operated in this
manner or on such a large scale. He employed many Croatians in his shop in the city, including his three sons. Fucich Bayou near Pointe a la Hache is
named in his honor.
During the late 1890s when the tug-of-war contests were held regularly in New Orleans between various national immigrant groups, he was the captain of
the Croatian team. Under his expert coaching they were the undefeated champions for many years. Fucich joined the United Slavonian Benevolent
Association in May, 1875 and served as its vice-president from 1895 to 1897. and its president from May 12, 1901 to May 10, 1903. He remained active in
the association and in May of 1909 was elected president for another year.