Thomas Montague Gunter (1826-1904) was a prominent figure in American politics, particularly known for his service as a ten-year Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas.
Born on September 18, 1826, near McMinnville, Tennessee, Gunter's journey to Congress was marked by a diverse career that spanned law, military service, and politics.
Thomas Montague Gunter's parents were John G. Gunter and Lavinia Arline (Thomason) Gunter. His father, a farmer from North Carolina, and his mother, Lavinia, was from Tennessee.
The Gunter family eventually settled in Marion County, Tennessee with a certified lineage that stretches back to pre-Revolutionary War in Bristol Parish, Charles City County, Virginia,
His great-great grandfather John Wesley Gunter, son of one of the earliest documented emigrants to the New World can be found on the British Colonial America index of citizenship with a birthdate from 1710.
Thoms, not quite 22 when he made the move to Arkansas, had shown a fierce independence even at an early age, leaving his family behind in McMinnville, Tennessee at the age of 17 to pursue his studies. He excelled in classical studies and graduated from Irving College in Tennessee in 1850.
After a year of teaching in Alabama, he began studying law, eventually moving to Arkansas in 1852 to continue his legal education under Fayetteville attorney H. F. Thomason., who would eventually move to Crawford County AND go on to serve in both the Arkansas state house and senate in the 1880s.
Thomas Gunter was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1854.
Gunter married Marcella Jackson in 1854, but she passed away in 1858, leaving behind a son, Julius. Later, he married Jennie Bragg, with whom he had two more children: Walker and Gertrude.
During the Civil War, Gunter joined the Confederate States Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Arkansas State Militia.
He fought at the Battle of Wilson Creek near Springfield, Mo. and was part of th insurgency troops that took over the federal post in Fort Smith before the Militia essentially disbanded and was absorbed into the CSA regular forces
After the war, Gunter resumed his legal practice and served as the prosecuting attorney for the Fourth Judicial District of Arkansas from 1866 to 1868. His political career took off when he contested the 1872 election results and was declared the rightful occupant of the Third Congressional District seat in 1874.
He served in the House of Representatives from 1874 to 1883, representing first the Third District and later the Fourth District after redistricting.
Gunter was a strong advocate for tribal sovereignty and opposed the forced allotment of Native American lands.
He believed in respecting the communal land ownership system and argued that it had led to the "civilization" of tribes like the Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles.
After retiring from Congress, Gunter returned to his legal practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he continued to contribute to his community until his death on January 12, 1904 st the age of 81.
He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Fayetteville , leaving behind a legacy of dedication to public service and advocacy for Native American rights.
