Gen. George W. Terrell
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Kentucky 1803. Came to Texas in 1840 from Mississippi. Associate justice, Supreme Court, 1840. Secretary of State, 1841. Attorney General, 1841-42. Charge d'Affiares of the the Republic of Texas to England, France, Spain 1844-45. Died in Austin, Texas, May 17, 1846. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George W. Terrell arrived in Texas in 1840, during the brief life of the independent Republic of Texas, and rose almost at once to its highest offices — associate justice of its Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. As chargé d'affaires he carried the young nation's case to the courts of England, France, and Spain in 1844–45, the very years annexation to the United States was being decided. He died in Austin in 1846, months after Texas became a state.
Why it matters
Terrell's career maps the short, improvised existence of the Republic of Texas, a sovereign nation that built a government and diplomatic corps from scratch before folding into the Union.
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Related people
- · George W. Terrell
Related events
- · Annexation of Texas
Themes & tags
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