George J. Terwilliger III

George James Terwilliger III (born June 5, 1950) is an American lawyer and public official. Since January 2024, he has been serving as an attorney and counsel at Terwilliger Law PLLC in Washington, D.C., continuing to represent clients on a selective basis, and prior to that, he served as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of McGuireWoods LLP, where he served as head of the firm's Crisis Response practice and co-head of its white collar team from January 2015 to January 2024. Terwilliger, of Vermont, was nominated on February 14, 1992, by President George H. W. Bush to be United States Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). He succeeded William Barr. As United States Deputy Attorney General, Terwilliger became the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and ran the day-to-day operations of the department, serving in that position from 1991 through 1993. He was appointed to the position by President George H.W. Bush after serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, appointed by President Reagan. He also served as acting United States Attorney General in his capacity as United States Deputy Attorney General following the resignation of William Barr as the 77th United States Attorney General Terwilliger resigned at noon on January 20, 1993, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 508.