Background
George Eustis eldest of four children of Jacob and Elizabeth Saunders (Gray) Eustis, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
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George Eustis eldest of four children of Jacob and Elizabeth Saunders (Gray) Eustis, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
He was educated in the schools of his native city and at Harvard College, from which he graduated in the class of 1815.
Soon after leaving college he went abroad as private secretary to his uncle, William Eustis, who had just been appointed United States minister at The Hague by President Madison. While here he is said to have begun the study of law. Upon his return he went to Louisiana, settled in the city of New Orleans, and by 1822 had been admitted to the bar. An active interest in local politics resulted in his being several times elected to the lower house of the state legislature. From 1830 to 1832 he was state attorney-general, and in 1832 he was appointed secretary of the state of Louisiana, a position he held until 1834. In 1838 he became a justice of the state supreme court. This court had accumulated a very large docket, partly because of litigation resulting from the panic of 1837, partly because of the partial incapacity of two of the judges, but also because of the dilatory methods of the court itself. In derision it was called a “talking court. ” As a result of public criticism two members resigned, and Eustis and Pierre A. Rost, active leaders of the bar, were given their places. In their efforts to clear the docket, however, they soon found themselves hampered by the presiding judge. Rost, therefore, resigned in May 1839, and Eustis followed his example the next month (II. P. Dart, “The History of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, ” in The Celebration of the Centenary of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1913). Dissatisfaction with the court, as well as with political matters in general, continued; and in 1843 a convention was called to draw up a new state constitution. This constitution provided for a supreme court composed of a chief justice and three associate justices, who were to be appointed by the governor. The court was organized March 19, 1846, with Eustis as chief justice and with associates who were bent upon putting an end to the costly delays of the old system. They adopted rules and methods to this end and eventually caught up with a congested docket. Before the commission of Chief Justice Eustis expired, a new state constitution brought about a change in the personnel of the court. He retired in 1852, and died at his New Orleans home six years later. Concerning his judicial opinions, Chief Justice Merrick of Louisiana said, “They were, as it became them, more solid than brilliant, more massive than showy. They are like granite masonry, and will serve as guides and landmarks in years to come” (13 Louisiana, vii—viii).
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by 1822 had been admitted to the bar
He has been described as “a man of extensive and elegant acquirements, a good linguist, and a ripe scholar. ” As a speaker it is said that he could claim no distinction, being neither fluent nor eloquent.
Quotes from others about the person
As a speaker it is said that he could claim no distinction, being neither fluent nor eloquent. Concerning his judicial opinions, Chief Justice Merrick of Louisiana said, "They were, as it became them, more solid than brilliant, more massive than showy. They are like granite masonry, and will serve as guides and landmarks in years to come" (13 Louisiana, vii-viii).
In 1825 Eustis was married to Clarisse Allain, who belonged to a prominent Louisiana Creole family. She outlived him eighteen years, and died at Pau, France, in 1876. They had six children.