George W. Gage (judge)

George Williams Gage (February 4, 1856 – February 13, 1921) was an associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was elected on January 15, 1914,^[1] to fill the position vacated by Judge Charles Albert Woods upon his becoming a federal judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

George Williams Gage
Associate Justice of South Carolina
In office 1914 – February 13, 1921
Preceded by	Charles Albert Woods
Succeeded by	John Hardin Marion
Personal details
Born	February 4, 1856 (1856-02-04)
Died	February 13, 1921 (1921-02-14) (aged 65) Chester, South Carolina
Spouse	Janie Hemphill Gaston
Alma mater	Wofford College (A.B.), Vanderbilt University, Tennessee Institution (L.L.B.)

Gage served in the South Carolina Statehouse until he was elected a trial court judge in 1898.^[2] He served as a trial judge for the Sixth Circuit until being elevated to the South Carolina Supreme Court.^[3] Judge Gage wrote one of the earliest decisions recognizing the "exclusionary rule" in Town of Blacksburg v. Beam, 104 S.C. 145, 88 S.E. 441 (1916). In that opinion he said, "It is better that the guilty shall escape, rather than another offense be committed in the proof of guilt."

Gage was born on February 4, 1856, and he died on February 13, 1921. He is buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Chester, South Carolina.^[4]