East Baton Rouge Parish
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George Hill, a retired sugar planter residing at Port Allen, West Baton Rouge
Parish, is well upholding the honors of a family name which represents more than
passing distinction in connection with Louisiana history, as may be seen by
referring to the memoir that is dedicated to his father, the late John Hill, in
a preceding sketch. By John Hill was given to the Louisiana State University its
fine Hill Memorial Library Building, a gift indicating alike his civic
liberality, his generosity and his deep appreciation of the higher ideals of
human thought and action. As the memoir mentioned gives adequate record
concerning the career of the father and a general outline of the family history,
this data do not require repetition in the article here represented.
George Hill was born in the City of Baton Rouge, the fair old capital of
Louisiana, and the state of his nativity was August 28, 1858. He was reared on
his father's plantation estate, known as the homestead Plantation, in West Baton
Rouge Parish, and there gained his early education under the preceptorship of
private tutors. He advanced his education by attending for a time the Louisiana
State University and was a student also in historic old Washington and Lee
University at Lexington, Virginia. After leaving college he became actively
associated with plantation enterprise and successfully reclaimed and rebuilt two
plantations in West Baton Rouge Parish. These he operated a number of years, but
upon the death of his honored father he sold the properties in order to preserve
and operate the latter's, the Homestead Plantation, two-thirds of this estate
being owned by him at the present time and the place comprising a tract of 2,000
acres of land. Mr. Hill resides in the handsome modern home, a building erected
by him in 1915.
As a citizen and man of affairs Mr. Hill has shown the
same splendid ideals of personal stewardship as did his honored father, and his
aid and influence are to be counted upon in the advancing of measures and
enterprises projected for the general good of the community. In local and state
politics he supports the cause and candidates of the democratic party. He has
been a member of the Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana State University for
over twenty years. He is a director of the Bank of Baton Rouge, and has held
this position more than twenty-five years. Mr. Hill was specially loyal and
zealous in furthering local patriotic activities in the World war period, which
found him a worker in the drives for the sale of government war bonds, as well
as in support of Red Cross work, etc. He was chairman of the parish committee in
charge of the drive for the sale of the government War Savings Stamps, and later
served in a similar capacity in the vigorous campaign for the raising of funds
for the fine monument to be erected on the campus of the new Louisiana State
University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, as a memorial to the gallant
young Louisiana soldiers and sailors who lost their lives in the great World
conflict. Aside from his active service in connection with war work Mr. Hill
made his personal contributions of most liberal financial order. The same
liberality has characterized his support of charitable and philanthropic
agencies, and it is a matter of record that he subscribed $35,000 for the
erection of the fine new edifice of the First Presbyterian Church in the City of
Baton Rouge. This building is to be completed in the near future. He is
affiliated with the Beta Chapter of the Delta Psi fraternity.
Mr. Hill
retired in 1921 from the active management of the Homestead Plantation.
On the 26th of June, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hill, at Brewton,
Alabama, to Miss Carrie Lee Taylor, who was born in the City of Montgomery, that
state. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have two children: Catherine Marion is, in 1923, a
student in the Port Allen High School, and John is attending the same school.
Mr. Hill has two sisters, Miss Katherine M. Hill, residing in Baton Rouge, and
Mrs. F. H. Carruth, residing in West Baton Rouge.
Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from A History of Louisiana, by Henry E. Chambers, published in 1925, volume 2, page 294.
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