Judge George Tompkins was born March 27, 1780, in Caroline County, Virginia. After educating himself, Tompkins set off to Kentucky, where he became a school teacher. While teaching during the day, he studied law in his free time. Tompkins first settled in St. Louis in 1809. In 1816, Tompkins relocated to Old Franklin in Howard County, Missouri. There, he formally began his career in law and established a law practice in the area. While in Howard County, Tompkins served two terms on the Territorial Council. 

In February 1824, Tompkins was appointed to the Supreme Court of Missouri to fill the vacancy left by the death of Judge John Rice Jones. 

Tompkins served as a judge on the Court from his appointment in February 1824 until March 27, 1845. Tompkins was compelled to retire from the Court on March 27, 1845, due to a constitutional provision that prohibited holding the office after reaching the age of 65. When he retired, he had served longer than any previous Supreme Court judge. He lived out the rest of his life at his home, located west of Jefferson City. 

Judge George Tompkins died April 7, 1846. He was 66 years old.

L. C. Krauthoff, “The Supreme Court of Missouri,” Horace W. Fuller, ed., The Green Bag, Vol. 3, (Boston, MA: Boston Book Co., 1891), 167.

William Van Ness Bay, Reminiscences of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, (F. H. Thomas and Company, 1878), 31.