The Freedmen's Bureau Online - https://www.freedmensbureau.com/washingtondc/outrages2.htm

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. It was in Dr. Mudd that Samuel confided 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.

Courtesy of the Maryland State Archives