William Corcoran Eustis

William Corcoran Eustis (July 20, 1862 - November 24, 1921) was a captain in the United States Army and the personal assistant to John J. Pershing during World War I.[1] He was chairman of the inauguration committee for the first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson in 1913.[2]

Contents

Biography

He was born on July 20, 1862 in Paris to George Eustis, Jr. (1828-1872) and Louise Morris Corcoran. He was the grandson of banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran.[3]

He laid the cornerstone for the Corcoran Gallery of Art on May 10, 1894, which his grandfather funded.

William was a personal secretary to General John J. Pershing during the First World War. In 1900 he married Edith Livingston Morton (1874-1964), a daughter of Levi P. Morton, vice president under Benjamin Harrison. Together they had five children. He owned and restored the Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Virginia. She served as a member of the memorial commission for the District of Columbia War Memorial.[3]

He died on November 24, 1921 of pneumonia.[3]

Legacy

Eustis' great-granddaughter, Wendy Pepper, was a contestant on season 1 of Project Runway.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Wm. Corcoran Eustis Dies. Former Diplomat was Captain on Gen. Pershing's staff". New York Times. November 25, 1921. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B01EFD9113CE533A25756C2A9679D946095D6CF. 
  2. ^ "Wilson Favors Omitting Ball". Hartford Courant. January 17, 1913. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/780997272.html?dids=780997272:780997272&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+17%2C+1913&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=WILSON+FAVORS+OMITTING+BALL&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-08-27. "President-elect Wilson favors the abolishment of the inaugural ball. This became known today when he sent a letter to William Corcoran Eustice at Washington, chairman of the inauguration committee, asking him to consider the feasibility of omitting the ball as a ..." 
  3. ^ a b c "W. C. Eustis Dies On New York Trip. Succumbs to Recurrence of Pneumonia He Contracted During War Service. Funeral Arrangements Incomplete. Was Long Prominent in National Capital Affairs. Family and Friends at Bedside. Funeral Plans Not Completed.". Washington Post. November 25, 1921. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/284290652.html?dids=284290652:284290652&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=NOV+25%2C+1921&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=W.+C.+EUSTIS+DIES+ON+NEW+YORK+TRIP&pqatl=google. "Capt. William Corcoran Eustis, of Washington, D. C., personal secretary to Gen. John J. Pershing during the war, died tonight following the recurrence of an attack of pneumonia contracted in France. He was 60 years old."