Joseph M. Terrell

Joseph Meriwether Terrell ( born June 6 1861 in Greenville, Meriwether County, Georgia, † November 17, 1912 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an American lawyer, senator and governor of Georgia.

Early years and political rise

After passing through the primary school he was the prosecutor of Greenville, John W. Parks, trained as a lawyer. In 1882 he passed the entrance examination and was admitted to the bar. He opened a law firm in Greenville. Almost simultaneously, he began his political career. 1884-1887 he was a deputy in the House of Representatives from Georgia. In 1890 he was elected to the State Senate. He sat chosen a better education policy and fought for funding for the "Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth", emerged from the later Savannah State University. Terrell proposed to fund public schools with money from the property tax. He campaigned for prison reform and stood fully behind the Railway Committee, founded in 1879. Between 1892 and 1902 he was Attorney General ( Minister of Justice ) of Georgia. In this capacity, he represented Georgia several times before the Supreme Court of the United States, where she won all his cases.

Governor of Georgia

Through his successful work as Minister of Justice Terrell became popular in Georgia. In 1902 he was nominated by his Democratic Party for the office of governor. It was not difficult to win the subsequent election as well as the subsequent re-election. His two terms in office were marked by the progressive spirit of the time. He advocated education reforms in the electoral system and the tax law, but had to take at a conservative stance of the parliamentary majority and compromise.

Later career

After the end of his second term Terrell worked as a lawyer again. Politically, he supported Joseph M. Brown, whom he had appointed to the Railway Commission, and fought out a tough battle for the governorship with Michael Hoke Smith. In November 1910 Terrell was sent as successor to the late Alexander S. Clay in the Senate of the United States. He suffered a stroke in February 1911, but still wanted to complete his term in the Senate. The Parliament of Georgia but did not agree to the specific and Hoke Smith senator. After some discussion and political controversies Terrell resigned on 14 July 1911. This ended his political career.

Since the stroke he was partially paralyzed and his health deteriorated in the following months more. He finally died on 17 November 1912. Terrell Joseph was married to Jessie Lee Spivey since 1886.