David Dickson Terry (January 31, 1881 – October 6, 1963) was an American lawyer and politician who served five terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

from 1933 to 1943. He was the son of William Leake Terry.

Biography

Born in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, Terry attended public schools, along with the

Bethel Military Academy Bethel Military Academy was a school near Warrenton, Virginia in Fauquier County. It operated from 1867 until 1911 and had several prominent alumni. The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill in 1901 incorporating the school. The bill included a ...

Fauquier County, Virginia Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 160 ...

and the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

at Fayetteville in 1903. Later, he also attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. After he 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 1903, Terry commenced practice in Little Rock.

Military service

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Terry enlisted on June 5, 1918 and was later commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry. He was discharged on December 20, 1918. From 1929 to 1933, Terry served as a member of the Little Rock School Board.

Political career

He was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1933. Terry 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Seventy-third Congress to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of

Heartsill Ragon Heartsill Ragon (; March 20, 1885 – September 15, 1940) was a United States representative from Arkansas and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Education and career Born on ...

. Terry was reelected to the Seventy-fourth and to the three succeeding Congresses, where he served from December 19, 1933 to January 3, 1943. He did not run for reelection in 1942, in order to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. His run was unsuccessful, and he returned to the practice of law. He unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1944, and placed third. Terry served as director of the Division of Flood Control Water and Soil Conservation of the Arkansas Resources and Development Commission from 1945 until 1953.

Death

Terry died in Little Rock on October 6, 1963. He was interred in Mount Holly Cemetery. Named in his honor, the

Little Rock School District The Little Rock School District is a school district in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It is one of four public school districts in Pulaski County and encompasses of land nearly coterminous with the state's capital and largest city. In ...

opened Terry Ełementary School in 1964.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, David Dickson 1881 births 1963 deaths Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas United States Army officers Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas 20th-century American politicians School board members in Arkansas Arkansas lawyers University of Arkansas alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Virginia alumni 20th-century American lawyers