Early years

Philip H. Gilbert was born on October 25, 1870, the son of Pierre J. Gilbert of Louisiana. From his youth up he was a faithful son of the Roman Catholic Church and did much for its support.

Until he was sixteen years old, Gilbert attended the public and private schools of Assumption Parish and Napoleonville

Napoleonville, Louisiana

Napoleonville is a village in and the parish seat of Assumption Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 686 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

. In 1905, he began his studies at the Tulane University Law School

Tulane University Law School

Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States....

 in New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Family life

On January 24, 1894, Philip H. Gilbert married the former Ella Savoie. The couple had seven children: Heloise, Thomas Bryan, Camille, Savoie S., Philip H., Laurence, and Leroy Percy.

The oldest daughter, Heloise, would later marry Risley C. Triche of Napoleonville, a businessman and sugar cane farmer. This couple would have several children, one of which, Risley C. "Pappy" Triche

Risley C. Triche

Risley Claiborne Triche, also known as Pappy Triche , is an attorney in Napoleonville, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1955-1976...

, would follow his grandfather into Louisiana politics, having been one of the youngest mayors in Louisiana history and later serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives

Louisiana House of Representatives

The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...

.

Philip H. Gilbert’s great-granddaughter, Jane M. Triche-Milazzo, daughter of Risley "Pappy" Triche, is a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court based in New Orleans. Like all U.S...

. The United States Senate confirmed her appointment from U.S. President Barack H. Obama on October 11, 2011, in a 98-0 vote.

Military service

For four years, Gilbert served in the Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 Army and was a first lieutenant of the Trans-Mississippi Division.

Political offices

Gilbert served as District Attorney of the Twenty-seventh Judicial District of Louisiana (1908 to 1916), District Judge of the Twenty-seventh Judicial District (1916 to 1920), Louisiana State Senator (1924–1926), and later as the Louisiana Lieutenant Governor (1926–1928), preceding Paul N. Cyr

Paul N. Cyr

Paul Narcisse Cyr was the elected lieutenant governor in the Huey Pierce Long, Jr., gubernatorial administration who quarreled with the self-designated "Kingfish" throughout most of their tenure...

.

Business

Philip H. Gilbert was president of the Lula Company, Inc., which operates the Lula Plantation, formally located in Assumption Parish. This company operated its own sugar refinery. He was president of the Avon Planting Company, Ltd., operating the Avon Plantation, formally near the town of Napoleonville, Parish of Assumption.

He served as president of the Bank of Assumption, Napoleonville, which opened its doors for business in 1901.