David Smith Terry Papers: Finding Aid mssTE
Brooke M. Black
The Huntington Library
April 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. David Smith Terry papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Cornelia Terry McClure, January 1949.
Biographical / Historical
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.
Scope and Contents
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.
Processing Information
Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Arrangement
Organized in the following series: 1. Correspondence; 2. Miscellaneous items and ephemera.
General
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
Correspondence
1849-approximately 1890
Box 2
1868 March 2-1870 February 12
Box 3
1870 February 13-1873 December 17
Box 4
1873 December 18-Approximately 1890
Box 4
Miscellaneous items and ephemera
1865-1933
