The life and times of The Hon. Adrian G. Duplantier

College of Law Remembers Distinguished Alumnus and Longtime Benefactor

By Katie Woolm

The philosophical foundation upon which Loyola University New Orleans is built is the role of scholarly and moral excellence. Common stones of this foundation include the ability to think critically, act justly, challenge assumptions, and analyze motives. The skill to do these things are important when considering the path of any Loyola student, but especially relevant when we consider that the goal of our College of Law graduates and faculty is to seek out truth and be committed to justice.

The Hon. Adrian G. Duplantier, L’49, H’93, federal judge, was one such graduate. Adrian was a 1949 graduate of the College of Law and also a long-time resident of New Orleans. He passed away on August 15, 2007, after a battle with cancer. His actions, both on the bench and off, continue to resonate for the Loyola community, the city of New Orleans, and the region.

Loyola Involvement

Though he graduated in 1949, Adrian remained involved with and supportive of the College of Law throughout the years. In fact, Loyola became a Duplantier family tradition, with Adrian’s sons—David, Thomas, and John—all receiving juris doctor degrees from the College of Law (in 1978, 1980, and 1987, respectively). His grandson, Joshua, is currently a 2008 juris doctor candidate.

Joshua remembers, “‘A’ always encouraged the importance of educational opportunity. When I was in the first grade, he donned his robes and came and read Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go to my class. For a large part of my life, I would’ve sworn to you that the legal profession would be the LAST place I would go.”

But Joshua’s perspective changed upon visiting his grandfather’s Poydras Street chambers and courtroom and seeing law clerks fast at work in the library. “Respect brought me to law school. Respect for the learned people I was surrounded with my entire life, my father and his brothers, and ‘A’. I could’ve gone [to other schools], but ‘A’ was adamant about my going to Loyola because Loyola is different. And he was right, Loyola is not and will never be a normal law school, producing normal lawyers, and for that he loved Loyola.”

Joshua explains that Adrian stressed opportunity to all of his children and grandchildren. “The Jesuit motto, ‘being a man for others’ has been used to describe Adrian his whole life. As a Loyola juris doctor candidate and a grandson of Adrian, I can only continue to pray, every day, to be more like him.”

While Adrian was at Loyola, he was a member of Upsilon Beta Lambda fraternity, editor-in-chief of the Loyola Law Review from 1948 to 1949, and served on its editorial board from 1947 to 1948. In 1949, he received the Loyola Law School Faculty Award given annually to the graduate with the highest scholastic average.

Along with his practice of law, Adrian dedicated a considerable amount of time to teaching. He was a lecturer in Loyola’s English department from 1948 to 1950 and taught dental jurisprudence at Loyola’s School of Dentistry and the Louisiana State University Dental School. He was also an adjunct professor of Civil Procedure and Trial Advocacy at the Loyola College of Law from 1951 to 1991.

Contributions to New Orleans and Louisiana

Adrian was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1950 and admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954, where he successfully argued three cases on behalf of the district attorney’s office. From 1954 to 1956, he served as first assistant district attorney in Orleans Parish.

He continued his private general practice of law in New Orleans until 1974. He also served as a state senator from 1960 to 1974 and was also a city of New Orleans mayoral candidate in 1961.

He resigned from the Senate in 1974 to serve as judge for the Civil District Court in Orleans Parish. In 1978, he was appointed as the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and he received senior status for this position in 1994. He served in this federal role up until his death.

Along with serving the community of New Orleans through his legal work, Adrian was an adviser to various local educational institutions: St. Mary’s Dominican College, Ursuline Academy, Mount Carmel Academy, and most recently, Jesuit High School.

He also founded Boys Hope Girls Hope, and he chaired the Board of Directors for nearly three decades. This program provides at-risk children with the tools and support they need to reach their fullest potential. Adrian, along with his wife, founded the Sally and Adrian Duplantier Boys Hope Girls Hope Scholarship Fund. Together, they also established the Adrian and Sally Duplantier Family Foundation through the Greater New Orleans Foundation in 1997, as well as the Adrian G. Duplantier Jesuit High School Scholarship Fund for law students who graduated from Jesuit High School in New Orleans and a Jesuit college.

The Hon. Adrian G. Duplantier, L’49, H’93, received the Federal Judges Association (FJA) Award that will hereafter be known simply as “The Adrian.”

Awards and Education

Earlier this year, Adrian was honored as the first recipient of a Federal Judges Association (FJA) Award that will hereafter be known simply as “The Adrian.” Current FJA president Sarah Barker said, “[Adrian’s] generosity of spirit and moral and just character epitomize all that is admirable in a judge. With unselfish devotion, he has championed the cause of judicial independence…No one is more deserving of this award.”

Adrian was also inducted into Jesuit High School’s Hall of Honors in the past year. He graduated with honors from Jesuit High School in 1945. In 1988, he received his master of laws degree in the judicial process from the University of Virginia School of Law. In 1993, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the Loyola College of Law.

His Legacy

Through Adrian’s time at Loyola as a student, a faculty member, and a parent, he was committed to pursuing and continuing the Jesuit ideals that make Loyola what it is, and it is evident that he inspired his family to do the same.

Though he may be gone, Adrian’s legacy will continue to live on both in the city of New Orleans and at Loyola, two places where he inspired change and created a lasting impact.

A memorial scholarship fund has been set up in Adrian’s memory.

Contributions can be sent to:

The Judge Adrian G. Duplantier
Memorial Fund
Attn: Greg Gremillion
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
7214 St. Charles Ave., Box 909
New Orleans, LA  70118