George Whitfield Terrell (c. 1803 – 1846) was an attorney general, judge, and diplomat in the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

. He was born in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in about 1803. His father was James Terrell. His family moved to

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

when he was a child. He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

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 Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

. Another states that he was elected by the Tennessee legislature.
Tennessee Blue Book
'. Nashville, Tennessee: Secretary of State; 1890 [Retrieved 26 August 2017]. p. 187–189. He moved to

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

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 Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (August 16, 1798 – December 19, 1859) was an American attorney, politician, poet, and leading political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was elected as the second president of the Republic of Texas after Sa ...

, 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.Herbert Gambrell.
Anson Jones: The Last President of Texas
'. University of Texas Press; 28 June 2010 [Retrieved 26 August 2017]. . p. 218. 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. In 1843 Terrell, along with

Edward H. Tarrant Edward H. Tarrant (1796 – August 2, 1858) was an American politician and general. He served in the Texas House of Representatives during both periods. Tarrant County, whose county seat is Fort Worth, was named after him. Early life and educat ...

, negotiated the

Treaty of Bird's Fort The Treaty of Bird's Fort, or Bird's Fort Treaty was a peace treaty between the Republic of Texas and some of the Indian tribes of Texas and Oklahoma, signed on September 29, 1843. The treaty was intended to end years of hostilities and warfare b ...

with nine tribes of Native Americans. Terrell also served as a diplomat, representing Texas interests to the nations of France, Great Britain, and Spain. He was an opponent of annexation by the United States. Terrell knew

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

and in 1842 gave the former U.S. President the gift of a pipe carved from a stone from

the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo ...

. This pipe is now in the collection of the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

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

References

1800s births 1846 deaths 19th-century American politicians Texas attorneys general Justices of the Republic of Texas Supreme Court U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century Texas state court judges {{Texas-politician-stub