Terry studied law and was admitted to the
Arkansas Bar Association in November 1873. He served as member of the Little Rock City Council from 1877 to 1879 and
Arkansas Senate in 1878 and 1879. He also served as the
city attorney of
Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1879 to 1885. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1886 to the
Fiftieth Congress. Terry was elected as a
Democrat to the
Fifty-second and to the four succeeding congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1901). During his tenure, Terry was a member of the
United States House Committee on the Judiciary. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1900. He resumed the practice of law in
Little Rock, Arkansas. == Personal life ==