George Washington Lent Marr (May 25, 1779 – September 5, 1856) was an American politician who represented

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 ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

Biography

Marr was born near Marrs Hill,

Henry County, Virginia Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948. The county seat is usually identified as Martinsville; however, the administration building (where county offices are located ...

on May 25, 1779. He attended rural schools and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

at Chapel Hill.

Career

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

for

west Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its geography consists ...

between 1807 and 1809, Marr was also an attorney general for the fifth district between 1809 and 1813. He served under Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 and the campaign of 1813 to 1814

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

, during which he was wounded. Marr was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

Fifteenth Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

, which lasted from March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1819. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1818. One of the largest landowners in west Tennessee, Marr moved from Clarksville to Obion County in 1821. He was a member of the Tennessee State Constitutional convention in 1834. He was associated with the Whig Party after its formation.

Death and legacy

Marr died at his residence on Island No. 10, which has since been washed away, on September 5, 1856, age 77 years, 103 days. His residence was located in the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, near

New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid ( ; ) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo, Illinois, a ...

. He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Troy Cemetery in

Troy, Tennessee Troy is a town in Obion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,423 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Union City, TN– KY Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Troy was founded in 1825 as the original county seat of O ...

. 'The Old Fort,' constructed around 1814 near Old Fort, Tennessee, housed troops assigned to protect white travelers and the Cherokees from Creek retaliation. The name Fort Marr was established when the fort was renovated into a stockade to use during the removal of the Cherokee people to the west. Believed to be named Marr, the fort was moved to its present location at Benton in 1965. In 1980, Fort Marr became the property of the Conservation Department of the state of Tennessee to be maintained and used as a historic site.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marr, George Washington Lent 1779 births 1856 deaths Tennessee Whigs Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People from Henry County, Virginia 19th-century American lawyers Tennessee lawyers People from New Madrid, Missouri 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives