William Eustis

William Eustis
12th Governor of Massachusetts
In office May 31, 1823 – February 6, 1825
Lieutenant	Levi Lincoln Jr. Marcus Morton
Preceded by	John Brooks
Succeeded by	Marcus Morton (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 13th district
In office August 21, 1820 – March 3, 1823
Preceded by	Edward Dowse
Succeeded by	John Reed Jr.
In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1805
Preceded by	Harrison Otis
Succeeded by	Josiah Quincy III
Constituency	8th district (1801–03) 1st district (1803–05)
United States Envoy to the Netherlands
In office July 20, 1815 – May 5, 1818
President	James Madison James Monroe
Preceded by	William Vans Murray
Succeeded by	Alexander H. Everett (Acting)
6th United States Secretary of War
In office March 7, 1809 – January 13, 1813
President	James Madison
Preceded by	Henry Dearborn
Succeeded by	John Armstrong Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1753-06-10)June 10, 1753 Cambridge, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	February 6, 1825(1825-02-06) (aged 71) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Caroline Langdon
Education	Harvard College (BA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Continental Army
Years of service	1775–1783
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War  • Battles of Lexington and Concord  • Battle of Bunker Hill  • Siege of Boston  • Shays' Rebellion

William Eustis (June 10, 1753 – February 6, 1825) was an early American physician, politician, and statesman from Massachusetts. Trained in medicine, he served as a military surgeon during the American Revolutionary War, notably at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He resumed medical practice after the war, but soon entered politics.

After several terms in the state legislature, Eustis won election to the United States Congress in 1800, serving as a moderate Democratic-Republican. He briefly returned to state politics after losing reelection in 1804, and was chosen to be Secretary of War in 1809 by President James Madison. Due in part to his inexperience at managing the army and a lack of preparedness, the military failures in the early months of the War of 1812 were laid on his shoulders, leading to his resignation.

Madison then appointed Eustis Minister to the Netherlands, a post he held from 1814 until 1818. After another period in Congress, he was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1822. A popular successor to long-serving John Brooks, Eustis died in office in 1825. His Boston mansion, built in the 1750s by royal governor William Shirley, is known as the Shirley-Eustis House and is a National Historic Landmark.