William B. Giles Egan Explained

William B. Giles Egan
Office:Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Term Start:January 9, 1877
Term End:November 29, 1878
Predecessor:John Edward King
Successor:Edward Douglass White
Office2:Member of the Louisiana State Senate
Term2:1865
Birth Name:William Bartholomew Giles Egan
Birth Date:3 December 1824
Birth Place:Amelia County, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting Place:Oakland Cemetery, Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma Mater:Emory and Henry College
Profession:Lawyer, judge

William Bartholomew Giles Egan (December 3, 1824 – November 29, 1878) was a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from January 9, 1877, to November 29, 1878.[1] [2]

Born in Amelia County, Virginia,[3] [4] Egan graduated from Emory and Henry College in 1845,[1] [3] and gained admission to the bar shortly thereafter.[3] He and his family moved to North Louisiana, where Egan "soon acquired a large practice in the Claiborne district".[3]

In 1857, Egan was elected as a district judge, defeating a popular opponent. He was twice reelected, and after completing his final term returned to private practice. In 1877, Governor Francis T. Nicholls offered Egan an appointment to the state supreme court, which Egan accepted. Egan remained on the court until his death.[3] Egan died in New Orleans,[4] following a rapid decline in health, having previously improved from a period of poor health the previous summer.[3] He was interred at Oakland Cemetery in Shreveport.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: William B. Giles Egan. Louisiana Supreme Court. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609025644/http://www.lasc.org/Bicentennial/justices/Egan_William_BG.aspx. May 15, 2020. 2019-06-09.
  2. Web site: Louisiana Supreme Court Justices, 1813-Present. Louisiana Supreme Court. https://web.archive.org/web/20190608080334/http://www.lasc.org/Bicentennial/justices.aspx. May 16, 2020. 2019-06-08.
  3. "Death of Judge Egan", Bossier Banner-Progress (December 5, 1878), p. 2.
  4. Celebration of the Centenary of the Supreme Court of Louisiana (March 1, 1913), in John Wymond, Henry Plauché Dart, eds., The Louisiana Historical Quarterly (1922), p. 121.