Minister of finance of the grand duchy of Baden; born March 11, 1827, at Carlsruhe, where his father was a furniture-manufacturer. From 1845 to 1850 he studied at Heidelberg and Bonn, devoting himself mainly to law. In 1854 he was made "Referendar," and after preparing for the position of "Anwalt" (counselor at law) went to Berlin (1856) and entered a banking-house. Here he became known to Mathy, subsequently minister of finance. In 1859 he began to practise law in Durlach, and soon came to the front. The last barriers which had kept Jews from the higher public offices being removed (1862), he was appointed district court assessor in Mannheim (1864). In the following year he was made counselor of the district court ("Kreisgerichtsrath"). In 1866 Mathy became minister of finance, and at once appointed Ellstätter as legal referee, entrusting him with the control of important financial matters. On Feb. 12, 1868, after the death of Mathy, Ellstätter was entrusted with the affairs of the ministry of finance, despite the racial prejudice which still existed. He controlled Baden's financial policy during the difficult years that followed the Franco-German war, and his wise system of taxation is still followed.
In 1871 Ellstätter became a member of the Bundesrath, in which position he drew up the reports of the committee on the proposed legislation of the coinage system. He became councilor of state in 1872; privy councilor of the first rank in 1876; and director of railways in 1881, when the railroads came under the supervision of the finance department; and received the title of minister of finance in 1888. As director of railways he rejected many useless schemes originated by interested deputies. He retired from public life in 1893 on account of illness. Ellstätter has taken little interest in Jewish affairs.