William Barrett Gunter (April 20, 1919 – August 17, 1986) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1972 to 1977.

Early life, education, and military service

Born in

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

, Jackson County, Georgia,Tom Linthicum, "Gunter Named to State High Court", ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' (December 23, 1971), p. 2. Gunter received his B.A. from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1940, and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1942. United States District Court judge

Robert Lee Russell Robert Lee Russell (August 19, 1900 – January 18, 1955) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the ...

then hired Gunter for a term as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

. Gunter served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, deploying with the 3rd Infantry Division in the European theatre, and attaining the rank of lieutenant. His service lasted until 1946, and Gunter was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.

Legal and political career

Gunter practiced law in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

, for 25 years, during which time he was elected to the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

for three terms, from 1952 to 1958. In 1971, Gunter was named the Democratic National Committeeman for Georgia."Gunter on Court", '' Tallahassee Democrat'' (December 24, 1971), p. 2. On December 22, 1971, Governor

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, a "longtime personal friend" of Gunter's, announced his appointment to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the impending retirement of Justice Jule W. Felton. As a justice, Gunter was "known for his criticism of Georgia's

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

law", writing in one dissenting opinion that if jurors who oppose the death penalty are excluded from serving, "the jury that is left does not represent the conscience of the community"."Gunter 'not involved'", ''

Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...

'' (March 18, 1977), p. 15. In March 1977, then-President Carter designated Gunter as "his special representative on the Indian claims matter in the State of Maine"."Longley denies 'weak defense'", ''The Portsmouth Herald'' (October 13, 1977), p. 2. Gunter resigned from the state supreme court on April 1, 1977, and dedicated himself to resolving the Maine dispute, issuing a proposal in July 1977 that the contesting tribes receive "$25 million, 100,000 acres of land, and the option to purchase another 400,000".Joseph Hall,
Was the "S" for Silent?: The Maine Indian Land Claims and Senator Edmund S. Muskie
, 50 ''Maine Political History'' Vol. 1 (2016), p. 14-15. Gunter further "recommended that

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

extinguish all Indian claims to private land, about 90 per cent of the disputed area", to prevent such claims from clouding claims to title in the land. However, both sides disagreed with Gunter's proposal, and Carter responded by announcing a new task force to address the problem. Gunter died after an apparent heart attack at his home in

on August 17, 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunter, William B. 1919 births 1986 deaths People from Commerce, Georgia University of Georgia School of Law alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) People from Gainesville, Georgia