The Longest Court Case in History that Lasted Over 50 Years

The Myra Clark Gaines litigation, recognized as the longest court case in U.S. history, spanned over fifty years, beginning around 1834 and concluding in 1889. This case, involving numerous rulings by the Louisiana Supreme Court while it was located in the Cabildo, centered on Gaines’ fight to be recognized as the legitimate heir to her father’s fortune.

Myra Clark Gaines, born on December 27, 1806, was the daughter of Zulime Carriere and Daniel Clark, a prominent New Orleans businessman and the first congressman from the Territory of Orleans. Raised by family friends Col. and Mrs. Samuel B. Davis, Gaines only discovered her true parentage upon her first marriage to William Wallace Whitney.

Determined to claim her inheritance, Gaines filed suits in both Louisiana state and federal courts, asserting that she was Daniel Clark’s legitimate daughter and rightful heir. After Whitney’s death, Gaines married Gen. E. P. Gaines, who supported her legal endeavors. She eventually sued the City of New Orleans to reclaim property she believed was hers. Unfortunately, Gaines passed away on January 9, 1885, at the age of 78, before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor. It wasn’t until May 13, 1889, that the Supreme Court awarded her heirs $576,707.92.

The core of the dispute was two conflicting wills allegedly executed by Daniel Clark before his death on August 16, 1813. The first will, dated 1810, left most of his estate to his mother, with his business associates as executors. The second will, handwritten and dated July 13, 1813, named Myra Clark Gaines as the primary beneficiary. Despite Clark’s spoken confirmation of the second will, it mysteriously disappeared after his death, and the first will was probated.

In a significant 1856 decision, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld Clark’s 1813 handwritten will. Chief Justice Edwin T. Merrick acknowledged the case’s prolonged nature and explained that Gaines’ persistent legal battles justified the delay in applying for probate of the second will.

The U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled on several aspects of this case over the years, issued its final decision in 1889, long after Gaines’ death. However, in an earlier 1861 ruling, the Court had already recognized the significance of the case, declaring Myra Clark Gaines as Clark’s legitimate heir and labeling the litigation as “the most remarkable in the records of its courts.”