George Whitfield Terrell (1803 – 1846) was an attorney general, judge, and diplomat in the Republic of Texas.[1]

He was born in Kentucky in 1803. His father was James Terrell. His family moved to Tennessee when he was a child. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1827.

Terrell became Attorney General (equivalent to a district attorney) for the Thirteenth District of Tennessee in 1829 and served until 1836. Some sources state that he was appointed to this position by then Governor Sam Houston.[1][2] Another states that he was elected by the Tennessee legislature.[3]

He moved to Mississippi in 1837 where he experienced financial problems, shortly afterward moving to the Texas republic for a fresh start. In 1840 he was appointed as a district attorney by then President Mirabeau Lamar, Sam Houston's rival, but declined to accept his offer to become Secretary of State. Upon his re-election to the Texas Presidency in late 1841, Houston appointed him Attorney General.[4]

From 1840 to 1842 Terrell was District Judge for the Fifth District, which office also served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas.[2]

In 1843 Terrell, along with Edward H. Tarrant, negotiated the Treaty of Bird's Fort with nine tribes of Native Americans.[5]

Terrell also served as a diplomat, representing Texas interests to the nations of France, Great Britain, and Spain.[1]

He was an opponent of annexation by the United States.[1]

Terrell knew Andrew Jackson and in 1842 gave the former U.S. President the gift of a pipe carved from a stone from the Alamo. This pipe is now in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.[6]

He died in 1846 in Austin, Texas and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jaschke, Melvin B. "Terrell, George Whitfield". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Justices of Texas 1836-1986". Texas Law. Tarlton Law Library - University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Tennessee Blue Book. Nashville, Tennessee: Secretary of State; 1890 [Retrieved 26 August 2017]. p. 187–189.
  4. ↑ Herbert Gambrell. Anson Jones: The Last President of Texas. University of Texas Press; 28 June 2010 [Retrieved 26 August 2017]. ISBN 978-0-292-78908-1. p. 218.
  5. ↑ Nance, Joseph Milton. "Republic of Texas". Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Dorris, Mary C. "The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson (Revised)". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 26 August 2017.


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