David Smith Terry (March 8, 1823 – August 14, 1889) was an American politician and jurist who served as the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court of California; he was an author of the state's 1879 Constitution. Terry won a duel against U.S. Senator David C. Broderick in Broderick's second duel in 1859. Terry died on August 14, 1889, when he was shot by Deputy U.S. Marshal David Neagle after he attacked Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field. Early life Terry was born in Todd County, Kentucky. In 1831, his family moved and settled in Brazoria County, Texas, until Terry himself moved to California in 1849. There, he read law, joined the bar and was active in Democratic Party politics. Widow Sanchez case In 1855, he took up the cause of the "Widow Sanchez". Maria Encarnacion Ortega de Sanchez, the widow of a wealthy rancher, was being cheated by local authorities, including the Sheriff, William Roach, who took her fortune under the guise of guardianship. After kidnapping Roach with the help of a local gunslinger named Anastacio Garcia, they held Roach in a jail cell in Stockton until he agreed to release the widow's gold. But Roach had bribed a guard to ride to Monterey and urge Roach's family to hide the gold. The treasure was hidden somewhere in Carmel Valley by Roach's brother-in-law, Jerry MacMahon. MacMahon was killed in a barroom brawl before he could reveal the location of the money. Public office In August 1855, he was nominated by the American Party (Know Nothings), in the special election for the Supreme Court of California seat left vacant by the death of Alexander Wells. He won the election and served from November 15, 1855, to September 12, 1859, as a State Supreme Court Justice; from September 18, 1857, to the end of his term, he was the 4th Chief Justice of California. In 1856, the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance challenged the corrupt city government controlled by David C. Broderick. Hundreds of armed "Vigilantes" seized two notorious murderers from the city jail and hanged them. The State of California, sympathetic to Broderick, declared San Francisco to be in a state of insurrection. Judge Terry, a Broderick ally, traveled from Sacramento to San Francisco for negotiations between the Vigilance Committee and Broderick's henchmen. He was seized by Vigilance Committee gunmen. Terry was a big man, known for his