In 1881, 17-year old Andre, as he was called (he is so listed in the city directory of the year) came to Shreveport from the New Orleans area to work as a clerk. By 1882, Andre had returned to the New Orleans area and did not move back to Shreveport until 1886. In that year, 22-year old Andrew (his name now Anglicized) and his recently widowed mother came here from Mandeville and shortly thereafter he opened a grocery store called the New Orleans Store on Commerce Street. Querbes’ grocery business developed from a small retail store into a large wholesale firm.

In 1896, he was elected to the Caddo Parish Police Jury - precursor to the Caddo Parish Commission - and in 1902 he sold his business to concentrate on area politics. That year he was elected as Mayor of the city, and was re-elected in 1904 (mayoral terms of that day only lasted two years). During his tenure as mayor, a new City Hall was built until the opening of the City Hall building located on Texas Avenue in 1958. He did not run again in 1906.

Also in 1906, he was instrumental in helping to organize the Louisiana State Fair and he remained on its board from 1906 until his death 33 years later - he helped organize the Chamber of Commerce in 1910 and was active in fund-raising for the war effort during World War I, chairing the area’s first and second Liberty Loan drives. He was also a long-time member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Andrew Querbes was the son of Antoine and Louise Alterieu Querbes, who were from the vicinity of Marseilles, France (the French pronunciation of Querbes is "kehrb"). While some members of the Querbes family migrated from southern France to Quebec, Canada (there is a Querbes Street in Montreal today), Andrew’s parents came to the New Orleans area, where his father was a general merchant, both in New Orleans and nearby Mandeville.

On February 12, 1889, Andrew Querbes married Alexandrine Ricou, daughter of prominent grocer Justin Ricou (for whom Ricou Street, in the Agurs area of Shreveport, is named). Thus the Querbes, Ricou and Gras families - for the local grocer and philanthropist Justin Gras was Justin Ricou’s nephew - became connected. The Querbes had three children; Andrew, Jr. and Randolph were both long associated with the Interstate Electric Company as well as with Shreveport Ice and Brewing Company, and Justin, who was the original Querbes of Querbes and Bourquin Insurance Company.

During the 1890’s, Andrew and Alexandrine Querbes reside in an ornate Victorian home at 413 Milam Street. About 1905, they moved to 633 Jordan, where they were living when Andrew died in 1939. Alexandrine, who was five years his junior, survived him by 18 years. Both are buried at Forest Park Cemetery. Both the Milam Street house, with its intricate "gingerbread", and the more stately home on Jordan Street are gone - the Milam Street home demolished in the early 1920’s to build the Goldring’s Building, which was itself torn down in 1997 along with the Ricou-Brewster Building next door (originally partly owned by Andrew Querbes), which had been built in 1924 on the site of the old Ricou house.

Some of the tradition remains, however. The building that housed Andrew Querbes’ New Orleans Store still stands at the southwest corner of Commerce and Milam Streets; long home to the Kennedy Supply Company, the building house offices. And Querbes and Nelson still occupies the 214 Milam Street building - built in 1872 as Tally’s Opera House - that housed Querbes and Bourquin begi