The Continental Congress established the position of Judge Advocate on July 29, 1775, and elected William Tudor to the position the same day. Less than two years later, Tudor stepped down and was replaced by Colonel John Laurance, and as a Judge Advocate he sat on the board of military officers and officials who sentenced British spy John André to death by hanging on October 2, 1780. Laurance would be followed by in the position of Judge Advocate by another Colonel, Thomas Edwards, who served until the treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 and the army was effectively dissolved, eliminating the need for the duties performed by a Judge Advocate.
Captain Campbell Smith assumed the position of Judge Marshal and Advocate General in the Legion of the United States in 1794, a title he held until 1797 when he was named JAG of the Army. In 1802, Congress abolished the position, and it was not be re-established until 1849 with the appointment of Brevet General John Fitzgerald Lee. Lee’s successor, Joseph Holt, was the first to serve in the post of “Judge Advocate General,” which was not officially created until Congress authorized it on July, 1862.
The title of “The Judge Advocate General” was not created until 1924; the importance of the addition of the definite article (“the”) can be seen in the use of “TJAG.” Today, the Judge Advocate General is the Army’s senior military lawyer and is appointed to a four-year terms.
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