Dr. George D. Mudd (1826-1899)
MSA SC 3520-12908
Biography:
Born George Dyer Mudd, November
20, 1826, near Bryantown, Maryland. Son of Theodore
and Dorothy
Ellen (Dyer) Mudd. Attended Charles County schools; University of
Maryland School of Medicine (M.D., 1848). Married (1) Ellen
Rosalie Boone (1835-1858), October 25, 1853, in Bryantown, (2)
Katherine Margaret Turner (1848-1923), October 1871, in Woodville,
Maryland. Seven children: Francis DeSales Mudd (1854- 1916), John
Vivian Mudd (1856-1858), Ellen Rosalie Mudd (1858), Mary Ann Mudd
(1872-date unknown), Jane Rosalie (b. 1873 d. in infancy), George Dyer Mudd, Jr. (1876-1902), Frances Theresa "Fannie" Mudd Kennedy
(1877-1945). Died December 1, 1899, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Medical doctor, postmaster, and state senator. George Mudd spent his
youth in Charles County, Maryland, as well as Missouri. It was
while living in Missouri that his interest in pursuing a career as a
doctor began. He returned to his native state in 1846 to attend
classes at the University of Maryland Medical School. Following
graduation in 1848, Mudd established an office in Charles County. He
also practiced medicine in nearby St. Mary's and Prince George's
counties.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Dr. Mudd was a slave holder and
Southern sympathizer. He did not participate in the War, choosing
to continue his medical practice at home instead. Dr. Mudd, a
Republican, followed his
father into Maryland politics, and was elected to represent Charles
County in the Maryland State Senate. He served in this body during the
1874 and 1876 regular sessions, as well as the 1876 special
session. He later served in the House of Delegates during the
1890 regular session. Mudd's grandson, John
F. Mudd, would later follow in his footsteps, serving in both
chambers during the first half of the twentieth century. Dr.
Mudd's nephew, Sydney E. Mudd also entered politics, serving as Speaker
of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1896. Sydney Mudd also
represented Maryland on the national stage, serving in the U.S. House
of Representatives from 1890-91 and 1897-1911.
In 1890, Dr. Mudd and his family moved to the City of Baltimore,
where he was appointed Deputy Surveyor of Customs at the City's port. Governor
Lloyd Lowndes, Jr., appointed him coroner for the Baltimore's
Southwestern district in 1896. Dr. Mudd passed away in Baltimore
on December 1, 1899.
George Mudd gained notoriety through his association with his second
cousin, Dr. Samuel Mudd, who spent time in prison for aiding Lincoln
assassin John Wilkes Booth. Samuel Mudd studied the medical
profession under Dr. Mudd. It was in Dr. Mudd that Samuel confined in
that he had been visited by an
injured John Wilkes Booth following the assassination. At Samuel's
request, Dr. Mudd alerted military authorities stationed in Bryantown
to the incident. Dr. Mudd served as a character witness at the trial of
Samuel Mudd and the Lincoln conspirators.
Return to Dr. George D. Mudd's Introductory Page
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