William Corcoran Eustis (July 20, 1862 - November 24, 1921) was a captain in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 and the personal assistant

Personal assistant

A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....

 to John J. Pershing

John J. Pershing

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. He was chairman of the inauguration committee for the first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson

First inauguration of Woodrow Wilson

The first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson took place on March 4, 1913, marking the beginning of his tenure as the twenty-eighth president of the United States. Chief Justice Edward D. White administered the Oath of office. Wilson requested that the inaugural ball be canceled because he found it...

 in 1913.

Biography

He was born on July 20, 1862 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 to George Eustis, Jr. (1828-1872) and Louise Morris Corcoran. He was the grandson of banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran

William Wilson Corcoran

William Wilson Corcoran was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector.-Early life:Corcoran was born in Georgetown in the District of Columbia, the son of a well-to-do father whom the electors of Georgetown twice chose as mayor. His father, Thomas Corcoran, came to Georgetown in 1788...

.

He laid the cornerstone for the Corcoran Gallery of Art

Corcoran Gallery of Art

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...

 on May 10, 1894, which his grandfather funded.

William was a personal secretary to General John J. Pershing

John J. Pershing

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...

 during the First World War. In 1900 he married Edith Livingston Morton (1874-1964), a daughter of Levi P. Morton

Levi P. Morton

Levi Parsons Morton was a Representative from New York and the 22nd Vice President of the United States . He also later served as the 31st Governor of New York.-Biography:...

, vice president

Vice president

A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...

 under Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...

. Together they had five children. He owned and restored the Oatlands Plantation

Oatlands Plantation

Oatlands Plantation is an estate located in Leesburg, Virginia. Oatlands is operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark...

 in Leesburg, Virginia

Leesburg, Virginia

Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...

. She served as a member of the memorial commission for the District of Columbia War Memorial

District of Columbia War Memorial

The District of Columbia War Memorial commemorates the citizens of the District of Columbia who served in World War I.-History:The memorial stands in West Potomac Park slightly off of Independence Avenue in a grove of trees...

.

He died on November 24, 1921 of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

.

Legacy

Eustis' great-granddaughter, Wendy Pepper

Wendy Pepper

Wendy Pepper is a fashion designer who appeared on the first season of the reality television show Project Runway, which aired on Bravo, from December 2004 through February 2005.-Early life and education:...

, was a contestant on season 1

Project Runway (season 1)

Project Runway Season 1 was the first season of Project Runway, Bravo's reality competition show for fashion designers. The season received critical acclaim including an Emmy nomination for outstanding competitive reality series. Growth in audience popularity was also dramatic from its debut to...

 of Project Runway

Project Runway

Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...

.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18447-2005Feb12.html