Founded in 1895 by French immigrants from the Béarn region of southwestern France, La Ligue Henri IV is one of San Francisco’s oldest fraternal organizations. At a time when many Béarnais arrived in California seeking opportunity between two world wars and during the Great Depression, the Ligue offered a vital sense of community and support.
Many early members worked in gardening or operated French laundries—industries where French-speaking immigrants found work and helped one another with housing, employment, and integration into American life. Originally restricted to men from Béarn, the organization later opened to all French regions and, in a historic shift in 2024, welcomed women as members—today counting approximately 200 female participants.
We spoke with Dave Lacampagne, the current president of La Ligue Henri IV, whose deep family roots reflect the organization’s enduring legacy. Lacampagne’s grandfather was one of 13 children born near Pau and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1930s, carrying with him a Béarnais patois and an unshakable connection to his French heritage. Like many others, his journey was shaped by hardship and hope, with La Ligue—and earlier, La Loge—serving as a cultural touchpoint for French identity in San Francisco.
Under Lacampagne’s leadership, the Ligue continues to evolve while honoring its origins, fostering camaraderie among French and French-American families across generations. Today, La Ligue Henri IV promotes French culture and heritage through a vibrant calendar of events, including banquets, picnics, golf tournaments, fishing trips, and an annual Christmas celebration.
The organization also provides philanthropic support to causes within the Bay Area’s French-American community and stands as a major sponsor of San Francisco’s Bastille Day festival. More than just a social club, La Ligue Henri IV remains a living tribute to the resilience and generosity of the French diaspora, inspired by its namesake King Henri IV—an emblem of unity, compassion, and leadership who, much like Abraham Lincoln, helped to reconcile a divided nation.
