Samuel Elbert

Samuel Elbert (born 1740 in Savannah , Province of Georgia , † November 11, 1788 in Chatham County , Georgia ) was an American merchant from Savannah and major general of the Georgia Militia. He was later elected Governor of Georgia for a year.

Early years

Elbert had been a successful merchant in his hometown since 1754. In the mid-1760s he acquired considerable land which he had slaves cultivate. In 1769 he married Elizabeth Rae, the daughter of a wealthy planter and merchant. They had six children together. Around the same time, Elbert founded a Masonic Lodge in Savannah. His military career began even before the American War of Independence . He founded a grenadier company for the Georgia militia in 1772 and was its commander as a captain. He had received the military training for this in motherland England .

In the war of independence

Politically, Elbert was a moderate supporter of the American Revolution . In June 1775, he was appointed to the Savannah City Security Council. The task of this body was to ensure the security of the city during the first phase of the conflict between the colonists and motherland England. In August he and his company had to move to Augusta to protect this city from an invasion by British loyalists. The local militia refused to take on this task. In January 1776 Elbert was appointed commander in chief of all Georgian militia units. He was also there when the militia launched the unfortunate attack on St. Augustine, Florida , on the orders of Governor John Houstoun in 1778 . The failed operation led to a British counter-offensive that ended with the occupation of Savannah, Augusta and large parts of Georgia. After this defeat, Elbert became an officer in the regular army. In further skirmishes with the British he was wounded and taken prisoner in March 1779. He was released in June 1781. Now he joined the army of George Washington . Between June and November 1781 he commanded a brigade at Yorktown . When he returned to Georgia in 1782, he was major general in the militia and brevet brigadier general in the regular army.

Further career and death

Elbert's grave in Savannah

In 1784 he was supposed to represent Georgia at the Continental Congress, but declined the offer. Instead, he was elected governor of Georgia for one year (1785–1786). During his tenure, he had to face the same problems as his predecessor John Houstoun and his successor Edward Telfair : in particular domestic political problems, because two groups were bitterly enemies and did not shy away from violence. Another problem was Indian issues in the west and south of the country. Georgia and its governors would keep Georgia and its governors busy well into the 19th century. After his tenure ended, he was a brief sheriff in Chatham County before he died in November 1788.

In Georgia, Elbert County and its capital Elberton were named after him.

literature

James F. Cook: The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004. 3rd edition, revised and expanded. Mercer University Press, Macon GA 2005, ISBN 0-86554-954-0 .
Charles C. Jones: The Life and Services of the Honorable Maj. Gen. Samuel Elbert, of Georgia. Riverside Press, Cambridge MA 1887.
William J. Northen : Men of Mark in Georgia. A complete and elaborate History of the State from its Settlement to the present Time, chiefly told in Biographies and Autobiographies of the most eminent Men of each Period of Georgia's progress and development. 6 volumes. AB Caldwell, Atlanta GA 1906-1912 (Reprint with a new index: 7 volumes. Reprint Co., Spartanburg SC 1974, ISBN 0-87152-176-8 ).
Gordon Burns Smith: History of the Georgia Militia. 1783-1861. 4 volumes. Boyd, Milledgeville GA 2000.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Elbert, Samuel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American trader and governor of Georgia
DATE OF BIRTH	1740
PLACE OF BIRTH	Savannah (Georgia)
DATE OF DEATH	November 11, 1788
Place of death	Chatham County, Georgia