The California Chief Justice who led the state's pro-slavery faction of the Democratic Party, he is best know for killing sitting U.S. Senator David Broderick in an 1859 duel over slavery. He served in the Confederate army. Terry himself died by gunfire years later when he physically attacked U.S. Justice Stephen Field over a case judgment and was shot by Field's U.S. Marshal bodyguard.
Life Span
to
Life Summary
Full name
David Smith Terry
Place of Birth
Burial Place
Birth Date Certainty
Exact
Death Date Certainty
Exact
Gender
Male
Race
White
Sectional choice
South
Origins
Slave State
No. of Spouses
2
No. of Children
6
Family
Cornelia Runnels (first wife), Sarah Althea Hill (second wife)
Occupation
Politician
Military
Attorney or Judge
Political Parties
Democratic
American Party (Know Nothings or Nativists)
Government
State supreme court
Military
US military (Pre-Civil War)
Confederate Army
