George Turner (c. 1750 – March 16, 1843) was an English-bornCharles Lanman, ''Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States'' (New York: J. M. Morrison, 1887), 509. Accessed vi
Google Book Search
soldier, land speculator, and jurist from

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Little is known about Turner's personal life.Andrew Cayton, "Law and Authority in the Northwest Territory", in Michael Les Benedict and John F. Winkler, eds. ''The History of Ohio Law'' (Ohio University Press, 2004; ), 19–20. In the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

(1775–1783), he served in the

1st South Carolina Regiment The 1st South Carolina Regiment (Infantry) was authorized on June 6, 1775, at Charleston, South Carolina, for service with the South Carolina State Troops. On November 4, 1775, the unit was adopted into the Continental Army and on February 27, 17 ...

of the Continental Army, rising to the rank of captain. He was taken prisoner by the British at the

siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...

on 12 May 1780. He was later exchanged, and

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

a major at the end of the war. Turner moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

after the war. A member of the Society of the Cincinnati, he was secretary of their second general meeting, held in Philadelphia in May 1787. Turner was the likely author of a set of "strictures on the proposed

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

" which were published anonymously in the ''Freeman's Journal'' on September 26, 1787. The article was the first criticism of the proposed Constitution to be distributed publicly in the United States. Turner became a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in January 1790. He wrote several works on various subjects. As a prominent land speculator, Turner had a vested interest in seeing a stable government established in the newly acquired Northwest Territory. In 1789, he was appointed by the Washington administration as a judge of the Northwest Territory to replace the deceased

James Mitchell Varnum James Mitchell Varnum (December 17, 1748 – January 9, 1789) was an American legislator, lawyer, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 559. in the Continental Army, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country.Wilkins, ''Memoirs of the R ...

.William Alexander Taylor, ''The Biographical Annals of Ohio, 1904–1905'' (Springfield, Ohio: 1905), 136. Accessed vi
Google Book Search
With Governor Arthur St. Clair and Judge

John Cleves Symmes John Cleves Symmes (July 21, 1742February 26, 1814) was a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey, and later a pioneer in the Northwest Territory. He was also the father-in-law of President William Henry Harrison and, thereby, th ...

, in May 1795 Turner helped draft Maxwell's Code (named after its printer, William Maxwell), the first criminal and civil legal code for the Northwest Territory. In October 1794, Turner became the first territorial judge to hold court in what is now

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. His actions as judge were seen as high-handed by many of the residents of St. Clair County, who had previously been independent of the federal judiciary. In May 1796, residents sent a petition with 49 names to the U.S. House of Representatives, asking for Judge Turner's removal. The House considered but did not pursue impeachment proceedings against Turner. Had they proceeded it would have been the first impeachment of a U.S. federal judge.Buckner F. Melton, ''The First Impeachment: The Constitution's Framers and the Case of Senator William Blount'' (Mercer University Press, 1998) 56–57. Turner resigned over the winter of 1797–1798 and was replaced as territorial judge by

Return J. Meigs, Jr. Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. (; November 17, 1764March 29, 1825) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the fourth governor of Ohio, fifth United States Postmaster General, and as a United States senator. Early life Meigs ...

Turner returned to Philadelphia in 1833, where he died ten years later. His obituary appeared in the 1844 edition of '' American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge'', which compiled a list of notable 1843 deaths. It read:

Works

*Turner George. ''Memoir on the extraneous fossils, denominated mammoth bones; principally designed to shew, that they are the remains of more than one species of non-descript animal: by George Turner, member of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia, honorary and corresponding member of the Bath and West of England Society, &c''. Philadelphia: Printed for Thomas Dobson, at the stone house, no. 41, South Second Street, 1799. *Turner, George. ''Oration pronounced before the Washington Benevolent Society of the county of Washington, State of Ohio: on the 22d. February, 1817.'' Marietta, hio 1817. *Turner, George. "Remarks on Certain Articles found in an Indian Tumulus at Cincinnati, and now deposited in the Museum of the American Philosophical Society." ''Transactions of the American Philosophical Society'', Vol. V, p. 74. *Turner, George. ''Traits of Indian character; as generally applicable to the aborigines of North America....'' Philadelphia: Key & Biddle, 1836.

Works

References

Further reading