skip to content
Link to United States Department of Justice Home Page
United States Department of Justice Seal of the United States Department of Justice displayed against a background image of the U.S. flag
Office of the Attorney General

Attorneys General of the U.S., 1789 - Present
FELIX GRUNDY
Thirteenth Attorney General 1838-1839

Portait of Felix Grundy
Artist: George Dury (1817-1894)
GRUNDY was born in Berkley County, Virginia, on September 11, 1777, and moved to Kentucky in 1780. Although he had little early formal education, he studied law and was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1797. From 1800 to 1806 he was a member of the Kentucky Legislature. In 1806 he was appointed associate justice in the State Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals, was chief justice in1807, resigned the same year and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Grundy was elected to Congress in 1811, was reelected in 1813 and resigned in 1815. In 1819 he was elected to the Tennessee Legislature, and in 1820 was commissioner to settle the boundary line between Tennessee and Kentucky. In 1829 he was appointed to a vacancy in the United States Senate and was reelected in 1833. President Van Buren appointed Grundy Attorney General of the United States on September 1, 1838. He resigned on December 1, 1839, to reenter the Senate. Grundy died in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 19, 1840.

About the Artist: George Dury (1817-1894)

George Dury was born in Munich, Germany, and moved to Watburg, Tennessee, in 1849.  Among his portraits is that of Mrs. James Knox Polk, which hangs in the White House. He also painted Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee.

Dury made his home in Nashville, Tennessee, where he died in 1894. Some of his paintings are exhibited in the State Library in Nashville. His portrait of Felix Grundy was painted in 1858.



Contact Us   |   Accessibility   |   A-Z Index   |   Site Map  |   Archive   |   Privacy Policy  |   Legal Policies and Disclaimers
FOIA   |   For DOJ Employees   |   Other Government Resources   |   Office of the Inspector General   |   USA.gov   |   No FEAR Act