James Zachariah George (October 20, 1826August 14, 1897) was an American lawyer, writer, U.S. politician,
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
politician, and military officer. He was known as
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
's "Great Commoner". He was also a slave owner.
Biography
James Z. George was born in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
, Georgia, but moved to
Noxubee County, Mississippi
Noxubee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,545. Its county seat is Macon. The name is derived from the Choctaw word ''nakshobi'' meaning "to stink".
Geography
According t ...
at age eight when his widowed mother remarried, and two years later, to
Carroll County, Mississippi
Carroll County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,998. Its county seats are Carrollton and Vaiden. The county is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signatory of th ...
, where he received his education in the common schools.
[Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 513.] He served as a private in the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
under Colonel
Jefferson Davis, and participated in the
Battle of Monterey
The Battle of Monterey, at Monterey, California, occurred on 7 July 1846, during the Mexican–American War. The United States captured the town unopposed.
Prelude
In February 1845, at the Battle of Providencia, the Californio forces had ous ...
.
On his return, George read law and was admitted to the bar. In 1854 he became a reporter of the
Supreme Court of Mississippi
The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...
and, over the next 20 years, George prepared a 10-volume digest of its cases.
As a member of the
Mississippi Secession Convention, George signed the
Secession Ordinance. A
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
colonel of the 5th Mississippi Cavalry during the Civil War, he was captured twice and spent two years in a prisoner of war camp, where he conducted a law course for his fellow captives. After the war, he returned to Mississippi and resumed the practice of law. In 1879 he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Mississippi and immediately was chosen chief justice by his colleagues.
[ Leslie Southwick]
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
From 1881 until his death, George represented Mississippi in 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 ...
, where he was recognized for his skills in debate, helped frame the future
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author.
Th ...
, introduced the bill for agricultural college experiment stations, and encouraged the establishment of the
Department of Agriculture. Alarmed by the proposed
Lodge Bill
The Lodge Bill of 1890, also referred to as the Federal Elections Bill or by critics as the Lodge Force Bill, was a proposed bill to ensure the security of elections for U.S. Representatives.
It was drafted and proposed by Representative Henry Ca ...
, which would have provided for federal supervision of elections, he campaigned in Mississippi for a constitutional convention in order to legally disenfranchise African-Americans, without resorting to violence, fraud, and other extralegal measures that had been used prior. He was a major figure during the
Mississippi Constitutional Convention of 1890 itself, leading a hardline faction promoting the disenfranchisement of blacks without disenfranchising whites (as opposed to those who wanted to apply property and educational requirements to whites and blacks equally), and successfully defended the constitution before the Senate and the Supreme Court.
George died in
Mississippi City, Mississippi, where he had gone for health treatment. He is buried, along with his wife, Elizabeth Brooks (Young) George, in Evergreen Cemetery in
North Carrollton, Mississippi. George's wife Elizabeth was the granddaughter of Col. William Martin Jr. of Tennessee, and the great-granddaughter of
General Joseph Martin, an early Virginia explorer and
Revolutionary War commander.
Family History Compiled by Lucy Henderson Horton, Press of the News, Franklin, Tenn., 1922
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In 1931, the state of Mississippi donated a bronze statue of George to the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...
.
The J. Z. George High School in North Carrollton, Mississippi is named in his honor, which is less than from his burial place. In addition, George County, Mississippi, is also named in his honor.
See also
* Battle of Collierville – Col. J. Z. George captured.
* List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
References
Further reading
* Timothy B. Smith. ''James Z. George: Mississippi's Great Commoner'' (University Press of Mississippi; 2012) 256 pages; scholarly biography
External links
On-line biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, James Zachariah
1826 births
1897 deaths
People of Mississippi in the American Civil War
People from Monroe County, Georgia
Mississippi Democrats
Democratic Party United States senators from Mississippi
Chief Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court
19th-century American politicians
People from Carroll County, Mississippi
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American judges
American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
People from Noxubee County, Mississippi
American slave owners
United States senators who owned slaves