George W. Summers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge for the 18th Judicial Circuit | |
| In office 1852 – 1859 | |
| Preceded by | David McComas |
| Succeeded by | David McComas |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's14th district | |
| In office 1841 – 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Beirne |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Johnson |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from theKanawha County district | |
| In office December 6, 1830 – December 2, 1832 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew Dunbar |
| Succeeded by | James H. Fry |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the Kanawha County district | |
| In office December 1, 1834 – December 4, 1836 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Fry |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Donnelly, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1804-03-04)March 4, 1804 |
| Died | September 19, 1868(1868-09-19) (aged 64) |
| Political party | Whig |
| Profession | Politician,Lawyer,Judge |
George William Summers (March 4, 1804 – September 19, 1868) was an attorney, politician, and judge fromVirginia (and what becameWest Virginia during theAmerican Civil War).
Summers was born inFairfax County, Virginia to George Summers and his wife, the former Nancy Ann Smith Radcliffe. His father represented Fairfax County in theVirginia House of Delegates for four terms, then moved his family toKanawha County (laterPutnam County) in 1814. Young George Summers attended what later becameWashington and Lee University inLexington, Virginia in 1820-1821,[1] then continued his education atOhio University and graduated in 1825.
On February 7, 1833 inCharleston he married Ammazetta Laidley (1818-1892), and they had sons Lewis Summers (1844-1928) and George Laidley Summers (1848-1863).[2]
Summers was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1827 and opened a law practice inCharleston.
In 1830, voters inKanawha County elected Summers to theVirginia House of Delegates, where he served from 1830 to 1832 (when he was defeated byJames H. Fry, whom he defeated two years later), and again in the part-time position from 1834 to 1836.[3]
Later, in 1840, voters elected Summers was aWhig to theU.S. House of Representatives, where he represented what was then Virginia's 19th Congressional District. Summers served in the Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Congresses, and despite the abolition of the 19th district after the 1840 census. He won re-election to the restructured 14th Congressional district, but was defeated for reelection in 1844 byJoseph Johnson.
Summers again represented Kanawha County as a delegate in the 1850Virginia Constitutional Convention.[4] However, his attempt to becomeGovernor of Virginia failed in 1851, as he again lost to Joseph Johnson. The Virginia General Assembly, nonetheless elected Summers a circuit court judge for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit (which covered several counties in the Kanawha Valley) and he served for six years, replacing slaveholderDavid McComas and being replaced by him after six years when he resigned and resumed his law practice for the final near decade of his life.[5]
In 1861, Kanawha County voters again elected Summers to represent them, at theVirginia Secession Convention of 1861. He vehemently opposed Virginia's secession from the Union. In March 1861 hoped, with associates, to call a border state convention inNashville orFrankfort (sometimes called the "Guthrie Plan" afterJames Guthrie of Kentucky) to forestall the looming conflict.[6] Instead, after he spoke at the Secession convention, former presidentJohn Tyler and University of Virginia professorJames P. Holcombe spoke at length to refute his argument.[7] After President Lincoln called for troops following theBattle of Fort Sumter and the convention voted for secession, Summers resigned and was replaced by Andrew Parks.[8][9]
Summers died in Charleston on September 19, 1868. He is buried at Charleston's Spring Hill Cemetery
In 1871, theWest Virginia Legislature honored Summers by formingSummers County from portions ofFayette,Greenbrier County,Mercer County, andMonroe County.
| Party political offices | ||
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| First | Whig nominee forGovernor of Virginia 1851 | Succeeded by None |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 19th congressional district March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 (obsolete district) | Succeeded by CD abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 14th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | Succeeded by |
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| People | |
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