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19 Tenn. L. Rev. 1 (1945-1947)
Four Attorneys-General and Reporters

handle is hein.journals/tenn19 and id is 29 raw text is: FOUR ATTORNEYS-GENERAL AND REPORTERS By JOHN W. GREEN Of the Knox-ville Bar George S. Yerger THE STATE OF TENNESSEE up to the time of the Civil War was served by the following Attorneys-General and Reporters in the order named: George S. Yerger, Return J. Meigs, West H. Humphreys, William G. Swan, John L. T. Sneed, and John W. Head. In previous issues of the Review have appeared sketches of West H. Humphreys,' who became a judge of the Federal and Confederate Courts, and John L. T. Sneed,2 who became judge of the Supreme Court. The first Attorney-General and Reporter of the State of Tennessee was George Shall Yerger. He was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1808, the eldest son of Michael and Mary Yerger, who were Pennsylvania Dutch. The family migrated to Tennessee at an early period in the history of the State and settled in Lebanon. Eleven children were born to this couple, eight of whom were boys, and what is most remarkable, five, according to some writers seven, of these boys be- came lawyers. But whether the correct number be five or seven the situation is probably without a parallel. Mr. and Mrs. Yerger were poor and unable to give their children the advantages of an education. As a result George had very little schooling. He started out in early life as a merchant's clerk but soon became dissatisfied with his job and determined to educate himself and become a lawyer. The only way he could achieve his ambition was by reading and studying at night and at odd times. This he did so persistently and effectively that in the end he had acquired an excellent education. Having obtained his license to practice law, he opened an office in Nashville when he was twenty-one years old and in a very short time came to be recognized as one of the leaders of the bar. The Supreme Court Reports covering the period from 1829 to 1839 show that he appeared as counsel in a great many cases. His brother, J. S. Yerger, also appeared as counsel in many of the reported cases. E. H. Ewing of Nashville, himself an outstanding lawyer of that period, has this to say about George S. Yerger: He was fluent, had a remarkable memory for cases and dates, never gave up a point however desperate, and occupied a first rank at the bar where he had as associates and rivals, Washington, Fogg, Bell, and others. In 1831, Yerger, being then twenty-three years old, the Legislature by joint ballot elected him Attorney-General and Reporter of the State of Tennessee. The ten volumes of Reports bearing his name attest the lGreen, Six Judges of the United States District Court for Tennessee (1797-1908), 17 Tenn. L Rev. 889, 892 (1943). 2Green, Some Judges of the Supreme Court of Tennessee (1865-1878), 17 Tenn. L. Rev. 789, 802 (1943).

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