Collection Guide
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Terry (David Smith) Papers
mssTE
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: David Smith Terry papers
Creator:
Terry, David S. (David Smith), 1823-1889
Identifier/Call Number: mssTE
Physical Description:
6 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1849-1933
Abstract: Papers belonging to California lawyer and judge David Smith Terry.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. David Smith Terry papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Cornelia Terry McClure, January 1949.
David Smith Terry was a lawyer, politician, and California Supreme Court justice. Terry was born in Kentucky but later moved
to Texas and joined the Texas Rangers during the Mexican War. After settling in California, he was elected a judge of the
Supreme Court in 1855. A political rivalry with David C. Broderick culminated in the famous Terry-Broderick duel in 1859,
in which Broderick was killed. Terry joined the Confederate army during the American Civil War and returned to California
afterwards to resume his law practice. He was shot and killed by Deputy US Marshal David Neagle in 1889 after an altercation
with Justice Stephen J. Field.
The collection consists of letters and documents related to David Smith Terry's family life and judicial and political career.
There are also materials related to the Terry-Broderick duel, Texas frontier life and political events before and during the
Civil War, as seen chiefly in the personal correspondence between Terry, his wife and family.
Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Organized in the following series: 1. Correspondence; 2. Miscellaneous items and ephemera.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssTE 1-259.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas
Judges -- California -- Correspondence
California -- History -- 1850-1950 -- Sources
California -- Politics and Government -- 1850-1950 -- Sources
Texas -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate
Texas -- Politics and government -- 1846-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Personal papers -- United States
Broderick, David C. (David Colbreth), 1820-1859