A planter who owned significant cotton lands and numerous slaves in Mississippi, he operated a ferry across the Tennessee in northwest Alabama.

The tribe practiced matrilineal kinship, and all children were considered to be born into their mother's family and clan, and gained their status from her.

As a youth George Colbert began to rise in prominence among the Chickasaw, as he also gained status by his bravery in battle and other actions.

During the Creek War, he recruited 350 Chickasaw warriors and assisted Andrew Jackson against the Red Sticks, the more conservative portion of the people.

[citation needed] Colbert and his brothers, Levi and James, were among the primary negotiators between his people and the United States government in the early 19th century.

[1] The Chickasaw ended up ceding much of their land to the United States after Levi died en route to Washington D.C during negotiations in 1834.

Having grown up with both Chickasaw and "white" language and culture, the Colbert brothers were strongly relied upon to act on the tribe's behalf.