Editing Jean Lafitte (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Jacques-Louis David - The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries - Google Art Project.jpg|upright|thumb|alt=Full-length portrait of a man in his forties, in high-ranking dress white and dark blue military uniform. He stands amid rich 18th-century furniture laden with papers, and gazes at the viewer. His hair is Brutus style, cropped close but with a short fringe in front, and his right hand is tucked in his waistcoat.|A persistent rumor claimed that Lafitte rescued French [[Emperor of the French|Emperor]] [[Napoleon]] ''(pictured)'' from exile on the isolated island of [[Saint Helena]] and both of them ended their days in Louisiana. No evidence supports it.]]

Davis writes that Lafitte's death in 1823 prevented his becoming obsolete; by 1825 piracy had been essentially eradicated in the Gulf of Mexico, and "the new world of the Gulf simply had no room for [his] kind."<ref name=davis467>Davis (2005), p. 467.</ref> Given his legendary reputation, there was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had died. Rumors abounded that he had changed his name after leaving Galveston and disappeared, that he was killed by his own men shortly after leaving Galveston, or that he had rescued [[Napoleon]] and that both had died in Louisiana.<ref name="davis468"/> In 1843, [[Mirabeau B. Lamar]] investigated many of the Lafitte stories and concluded that, while there were no authentic records of death, Lafitte was likely dead.<ref name=davis468/>

Ramsay compares the numerous legends related to the life and death of Jean Lafitte to those about [[King Arthur]] and [[Robin Hood]].<ref name=ramsay137>Ramsay (1996), p. 137.</ref> Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations, including Galveston and sites along coastal Louisiana, such as [[Contraband Bayou]] in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]].<ref name=ramsay136>Ramsay (1996), p. 136.</ref> Ramsay believes that over time, almost "every foot of Grande Isle has been spaded for pirate gold".<ref name=ramsay137/> In 1909, a man was given a six-year prison sentence for fraud after swindling thousands of dollars from people, by claiming that he knew where the Lafitte treasure was buried and taking their money for the promise to find it.<ref name=davis473>Davis (2005), p. 473.</ref>

* Two fishing communities in [[Jefferson Parish, Louisiana]], along Bayou Barataria, were named after him: [[Jean Lafitte, Louisiana|Jean Lafitte]], whose town hall is on Jean Lafitte Boulevard; and a census-designated place (CDP) called [[Lafitte, Louisiana|Lafitte]].
* [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve]], about 25 miles from New Orleans, was named for him.<ref>{{citation|last=Marcus|first=Frances Frank|title=Canoeing Among Alligators|newspaper=New York Times|date=January 15, 1989|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE5DA133DF936A25752C0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|access-date=2009-01-23}}</ref>