Patricia Maureen Brady

Patricia Maureen Brady, born on January 20, 1943, passed away on December 15, 2025, age 82, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
After Pat graduated from high school in Brownsville, Texas, she moved to New Orleans to attend Newcomb College. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Newcomb, she received her Ph.D in history from Tulane University and shortly thereafter began teaching at Dillard University. Later, as Director of Publications at The Historic New Orleans Collection, she edited and published Nelly Custis Lewis's Housekeeping Book; The Encyclopedia of New Orleans Artists, 1718-1918; Complementary Visions of Louisiana Art: The Laura Simon Nelson Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection; and Queen of the South: New Orleans, 1853-1862, The Journal of Thomas K. Wharton, among many others. In 2001, she was made a fellow of the Louisiana Historical Association, having also served as president, and was the recipient of a Mellon Fellowship from the Virginia Historical Society.
In 2012 Pat received the Humanist of the Year Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, acknowledging her activities and interests that centered around literature, language, and art, cornerstones of the humanities. "The overriding theme of my life," Pat once said, "has been reading, writing, making and selling books." Her work as a volunteer reflected those words. An active member of the New Orleans—and regional— literary community for years, Pat graciously accepted leadership roles.
As president of the New Orleans/Gulf South Booksellers Association, Pat inaugurated the book-sellers tent at the Jazz and Heritage Festival, a popular meeting place that featured book signings by local authors. She was a mainstay of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. She served as vice-president for programming (not hesitating to call famed literary critic Alfred Kazin to speak at the Festival) and as president, a role particularly important in the post-Karina days.
An inveterate reader, Pat put her literary interests into action by frequently holding receptions for writers chosen to serve as the Zale Writer in Residence, a program coordinated by the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women.
And she herself was a much sought-after speaker, whether locally, at Mt. Vernon—site of her research on the Washingtons—or on the road where she spoke about her published biographies. Pat is the author of Martha Washington: An American Life (2005); A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson (2011); and a biographical essay, In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans (2010).
Her list of publications is long, one that includes essays on prominent women and introductions to cultural histories.
Pat shared her knowledge of history, inspiring others to share their talents as well; she created an inviting atmosphere where creativity could flourish.
Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Louise and Edward Brady; her sister Jane Brady; and her son Colin Schmit. She is survived by her partner Michael Ledet; her daughter Elizabeth Schmit; her sister and brother-in-law Melissa and Arthur Cosenza; and her grandson Dylan Regouffre.
There will be a celebration-of-life reception from 11:00 a.m to 2:00 pm on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at the Audubon Club House at 6975 Magazine Street.