George Teamoh was born in 1818 in Norfolk, Virginia. His parents were slaves named David and Lavinia. He was owned by Josiah and Jane Thomas who hired him out to various businesses. In 1841 he married Sallie and had three children. In 1853 he was separated from his family when they were sold to different slaveholders. His owners allowed him to move to Boston and in 1863 he married Elizabeth Smith, whom he divorced two years later. In 1865 he returned to Portsmouth, Virginia and remarried his wife Sallie. He became an influential leader in local politics and public education. He was the first black man to serve as a state senator. He died about 1883.