John Forsyth

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John Forsyth

John Forsyth (born October 22, 1780 in Fredericksburg , Virginia , † October 21, 1841 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . He served as Secretary of State of the United States and Governor of the State of Georgia , which he also represented in both houses of Congress .

Life

education

When Forsyth was 13 years old, his father Robert, the first US Marshal of the Georgia District, was shot while practicing his profession. He studied law at the College of New Jersey , now Princeton University , where he graduated in 1799. He was admitted to the bar in 1802 and then started practicing as a lawyer in Augusta . In 1808 he was elected Attorney General of Georgia. About two years later he married Clara Meigs, the eldest daughter of Josiah Meigs, the first president of Franklin College , later the University of Georgia in Athens .

Congressman, Ambassador and Senate First Term

He decided early on to pursue a career in politics. He was elected to the US House of Representatives for the Democratic Republican Party ; his first term lasted from March 4, 1813 to November 23, 1818 (13th-15th Congress election period). During the 15th Congressional election period, he sat the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State .

After the resignation of George Troup , he won the by-election on November 7, 1818 and represented Georgia in the United States Senate from November 23, 1818 to February 17, 1819 . He resigned from May 18, 1819 to March 2, 1823 to the post of ambassador to Spain .

On March 4, 1823 he was again a member of the House of Representatives and represented Georgia until his resignation on November 7, 1827 during the 18th, 19th and 20th Congressional election periods in the House of Representatives. During the 18th and 19th Congressional election periods, he chaired the Committee on Foreign Affairs .

Governor and Senate second term

From 1827 to 1829 he was the governor of Georgia. After the resignation of Senator John MacPherson Berrien and his appointment as US Attorney General , he won the necessary by-election and was again Senator for Georgia from November 9, 1829 until his resignation on June 27, 1834, but this time as a supporter of Andrew Jackson for the Democrats . During the 22nd congressional election period he chaired the Committee on Commerce and was also a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Finance .

Foreign minister

On July 1, 1834, he was named the 13th Secretary of State of the United States by President Jackson to succeed Louis McLane . He was also sworn in as Foreign Minister in the cabinet of President Martin Van Buren and remained in office until March 3, 1841; he was succeeded by Daniel Webster .

As foreign minister, Forsyth led the government's position during the Amistad trials . He was a loyal supporter of Andrew Jackson and an opponent of John C. Calhoun during the nullification crisis . In the deliberations on the Indian Removal Act , in his response to Theodore Frelinghuysen, he supported the law to open negotiations on the resettlement of the Indians. Forsyth supported slavery and employed three house servants himself. He died in Washington on October 21, 1841 and was buried in the congressional cemetery.

Honors

According to him, Forsyth County , Georgia and the city of Forsyth named in Missouri.

literature

  • Alvin Laroy Duckett: John Forsyth: Political Tactician. Pickle Partners, Seven Oaks 2017, ISBN 978-1-7872-0408-9 .
  • John Belohlavek: John Forsyth. In: Edward S. Mihalkanin (Ed.): American Statesmen: Secretaries of State from John Jay to Colin Powell . Greenwood Publishing 2004, ISBN 978-0-313-30828-4 , pp. 200-212.

Web links

Commons : John Forsyth  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Forsyth, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1780
PLACE OF BIRTH Fredericksburg , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH October 21, 1841
Place of death Washington, DC