\Attorney George W. Weaver, who served as the first district attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, died following a battle with leukemia.
Weaver was the husband of Appalachian Chief Judge Brenda S. Weaver. Gilmer County is part of the Appalachian Judicial District.
“George has been a friend and mentor to me over the years,” said Appalachian Judicial District Attorney Frank Wood.
“He is a giant in the legal community. He was an excellent lawyer. He always did it the right way.”
Wood said Weaver practiced the law with humility, honesty and the right way. Practicing with honesty was something Weaver always stressed to him.
Weaver served the law in many facets, Wood said. He was a police officer with the Atlanta Police Department, an assistant district attorney, district attorney and defense attorney.
“He will be missed greatly,” Wood said.
Richard Hyde, chief investigator with Balch and Bingham, served in the Atlanta Police Department after Weaver’s tenure, said Weaver was remembered for his time there. He was one of those people everyone knows, he said.
Later, Hyde came to know Weaver professionally.
“I’ve had cases with him and against him, and they were always entertaining and educational,” Hyde said. “George was straight up. He came at you head-on.”
Hyde said he was impressed with Weaver’s approach to cases. He called him one of the ‘wisest lawyers’ he ever met.
“He always had an angle they never thought of,” he said.
Hyde also pointed to his strong service ethic. Weaver was a special forces medic in Vietnam, he was a police officer, a social studies teacher and served people in other capacities before becoming a lawyer.
According to his obituary, Weaver suffered a back injury in August 2022 which required several surgeries and resulted in major complications.
In August 2023, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
He died June 27, at the age of 82. His obituary is included in this newspaper.