George Washington Shell (November 13, 1831 – December 15, 1899) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Life

Born near

Laurens, South Carolina Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 9,139 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Laurens County. History Located in upstate South Carolina, the city of Laurens is named after Henry Lau ...

, Shell attended the common schools and Laurens Academy. He engaged in agricultural pursuits. He entered the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

as a private in April 1861 and served throughout the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, attaining the rank of captain. He resumed agricultural pursuits. In 1875, he and his brother were charged with the assassination of politician Joseph Crews; a jury acquitted them both after a half-hour of deliberation. He served as member of the State Democratic executive committee in 1886 and 1887. Chosen president of the State Farmers' Association in 1888. He served as clerk of court of Laurens County 1888-1896. Shell was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). He served as chairman of the Committee on Ventilation and Acoustics (Fifty-third Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1894. He retired to his plantation near

, and died there December 15, 1899. He was interred in Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shell, George Washington 1831 births 1899 deaths Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina People of South Carolina in the American Civil War People from Laurens, South Carolina American people acquitted of murder 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives