William Leake Terry (September 27, 1850 – November 4, 1917) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for

Arkansas's 4th congressional district Arkansas's 4th congressional district is a congressional district located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Notable towns in the district include Camden, Hope, Hot Springs, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, and Texarkana. The ...

from 1891 to 1901.

Early life and education

Born near

Wadesboro, North Carolina Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,049 at the 2020 census. The town was originally found in 1783 as New Town but changed by the North Carolina General Assembly to Wadesboro in 1787 to honor Co ...

, Terry moved with his parents to

Tippah County, Mississippi Tippah County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,232. Its county seat is Ripley. The name ''"Tippah"'' is derived from a Chickasaw language word meaning "cu ...

, in 1857 and to

Pulaski County, Arkansas Pulaski County is located in the U.S. state of Arkansas with a population of 399,125, making it the most populous county in Arkansas. The county is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway metropolitan area. Its county seat is L ...

, in 1861. He attended the Bingham Military School and was graduated from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in June 1872, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity.

Career

Terry studied law and was admitted to the

Arkansas Bar Association The Arkansas Bar Association is the Bar association#Voluntary bar associations, voluntary (non-mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Arkansas. History As early as 1837, there were efforts to organize association of lawyers in Arkansa ...

in November 1873. He served as member of the Little Rock City Council from 1877 to 1879 and

Arkansas Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

in 1878 and 1879. He also served as the

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

from 1879 to 1885. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1886 to the

Fiftieth Congress The 50th 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 Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887, ...

. Terry was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-second and to the four succeeding congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1901). During his tenure, Terry was a member of the

United States House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1900. He resumed the practice of law in

Personal life

Terry was the father of

David D. Terry David Dickson Terry (January 31, 1881 – October 6, 1963) was an American lawyer and politician who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Arkansas from 1933 to 1943. He was the son of William Leake Terry. Biography Born in Little Ro ...

. He died in Little Rock on November 4, 1917 and was interred in Calvary Cemetery.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, William Leake 1850 births 1917 deaths People from Wadesboro, North Carolina Arkansas city council members Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas Democratic Party Arkansas state senators 19th-century American politicians