Judge George Washington Dunn, was born near Harrodsburg, Kentucky Oct 15, 1815, his father Major Lemuel Dunn, was the son of Michael Dunn, a noble defender in the war for Independence of the American Colonies. Judge Dunn's granfather on his mother side, John Campbell was also a Revolutionary soldier.

In 1839 Judge Dunn came to Richmond, Mo to practice law. In 1848 he was appointed judge of the 5th judicial circuit as successor to Hon. Austin A. King, who was elected governor of the state of Missouri.

In 1841, he was married to Susan Martha Henderson of Kentucky. She was the granddaughter of Col. Joseph Crockett, an officer of the Rev. War. Judge Dunn divided his affections between the goodness of justice and poetry. No one knows what became of his poems. Only two are accounted for and they are in the Ray County History 1881 edition.