George Muter

George Muter was an early settler of Kentucky and served as chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Early life and military career Muter was born in Madison County, Virginia, then a part of Orange County. He was the son of a German father and a Scottish mother. Thomas Speed also records that he was commander aboard a ship of war and attained the rank of colonel.

Relocation to Kentucky

It is likely that Muter came to Kentucky in 1784. The Virginia legislature had appointed him to the district court of Kentucky in 1783, but did not assume the post until 1785. The court first convened in Harrodsburg, but was moved to Danville in 1783. He was also the first president of the Caledonian Society, a nod to his Scottish heritage on his mother's side.

In 1786, Muter was invited to become a member of the Danville Political Club, a debating society that also included Samuel McDowell and Harry Innes. He was accepted as a member on the motion of John Belli on February 17, 1787; the vote was unanimous. An undated note in the club's records show that, even after Muter removed from Danville, the club retained him as a member.

From 1785 to 1792, Muter was a delegate to all ten conventions called for the purpose of framing the first Kentucky Constitution. The district court for Kentucky district was dissolved, and the Kentucky Court of Appeals was organized to replace it as the first court of last resort for the state. However, Innes was chosen by President George Washington as chief justice of the new U.S. district court for Kentucky; Innes immediately resigned to accept this position. The decision was very unpopular with the people of Kentucky, and in December 1795, they petitioned the legislature to remove the two justices. The legislature failed to produce the two-thirds majority needed to remove the justices, but they were sternly rebuked. The next legislature, however, repealed the pension. Because Muter had no family, his friend and fellow justice Thomas Todd invited Muter to live with him. In Muter's will, he left his entire estate to Todd.