George Eustis, Sr.

George Eustis Sr. (October 20, 1796 – December 22, 1858) was chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1838. He was also one of the founders of the Pontchartrain Railroad and a benefactor of the University of Louisiana, now Tulane University. Early life George Eustis was born in Boston on October 20, 1796, to Jacob Eustis and Elizabeth Saunders Gray. He attended and graduated from Harvard University in 1815. Career In 1815, he was appointed as private secretary to his uncle, William Eustis, who was then serving as Minister to the Netherlands. Having begun studying law while in the Netherlands, Eustis settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1817, completed his studies, and was admitted to the bar. A Whig, Eustis served three terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives in the 1820s. He was Louisiana Attorney General from 1830 to 1832, and from 1832 to 1834 he was Secretary of State. As Secretary of State he helped establish Medical College of Louisiana, which received its charter in 1835.