George Peddy
George Peddy (August 22, 1892 - June 13, 1951) was an American attorney, military officer, and political figure from Texas. A 1920 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, he practiced law in Houston with the prominent firm of Vinson, Elkins, Weems, and Francis. A Democrat, He served in the Texas House of Representatives in 1917 and ran two high-profile but unsuccessful campaigns for the United States Senate (1922, 1948). A United States Army veteran of World War I and World War II, he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel while serving with the 5th Infantry Division in France during the Second World War, and received the Bronze Star Medal and Croix de Guerre. Early life George Edwin Bailey Peddy was born on a farm near Tenaha, Texas, on August 22, 1892, the youngest of seven sons born to William Henry Peddy and Laura Gertrude (Chambers) Peddy. His father died two months before Peddy's birth, and from a young age he helped support the family by working on the farm, which grew cotton, corn, sugarcane, and peanuts. After attending the district schools near his home, Peddy performed labor for a resident of Tenaha in exchange for room and board, which enabled him to attend Tenaha Academy. He subsequently attended Garrison High School in Garrison, Texas. Start of career After graduating from high school and teaching school in Timpson to earn tuition, in 1913 Peddy began attendance at the University of Texas at Austin. He remained for a year and afterwards resumed working on the family farm. In 1916, Peddy was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, and he served from January to September 1917. Peddy also returned to the University of Texas, and in 1917 he was elected as student body president. He decided to obtain military training in anticipation of World War I and took part in the Citizens' Military Training Camp held at Camp Funston (later Camp Bullis), Leon Springs, Texas. In October 1917, Peddy joined the United States Army and received his commission as a captain of Infantry. Peddy was assigned to the 163rd Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 41st Division. He served in France throughout the war, and later commanded Company K, 360th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 90th Division. He remained with the Army during its post-war occupation of Germany and returned to the United States in the spring of 1919. Continued career After his military service, Peddy returned to college, this time attending courses at the University of Texas School of Law. He received his LL.B. degree in 1920, and was admitted to the bar later that year. He practiced law in Houston in partnership with David Andrew Simmons and Dan Jackson. He subsequently accepted a position as an assistant district attorney for Harris County, where he served for two years. He then spent two years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, where he had responsibility for mail fraud prosecutions. 1922 U.S. Senate