Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr.

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Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr.

Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. (born November 17, 1764 in Middletown , Colony of Connecticut , † March 29, 1825 in Marietta , Ohio ) was an American politician of the Democratic Republican Party . He was the fourth governor of Ohio and the eighth United States Postal Secretary .

Early years

Meigs was born in Middletown to Return Jonathan Meigs Sr. , a descendant of the early Puritan settlers in Massachusetts . He studied at Yale University until 1785 . After completing a law degree, he began practicing as a lawyer in Marietta in what is now Ohio. At that time the area still belonged to the Northwest Territory . In 1788 he became secretary of the court there. In 1794 he became head of the post office in Marietta and in 1798 he became a judge.

Political rise

In 1799 Meigs was elected to the territorial parliament and in 1803 he was appointed presiding judge of the Supreme Court of the new US state of Ohio. In October of the same year he resigned from this post to take command of the US Army in the St. Charles District of the Louisiana Territory . In 1807 he became a judge in this territory. He did not take up another judge's post in the Michigan Territory because he wanted to run for governor in Ohio. He won the special elections held in 1807, which had become necessary after the resignation of Edward Tiffin . However, his election was voided because he had not lived in Ohio as required by the constitution for the past four years. Instead, he was elected to the US Senate , where he remained between 1808 and 1810. That year he was elected the new governor of his country.

Governor of ohio

Return Meigs took up his new office on December 8, 1810 and was re-elected in 1812. During his tenure, a penal institution was built and the permanent capital was designated Columbus and moved there a few years later. After the outbreak of war in 1812 , he supported the federal government with weapons and soldiers. His support for the war effort was recognized by President James Madison , who named him post office secretary in 1814. Thereupon Meigs resigned on March 24, 1814 from the office of governor.

Another résumé

Meigs retained the post of post minister under President James Monroe . It was not until 1823 that he had to give up this post for health reasons. His tenure as Post Minister was not without controversy. Investigations have been opened against him twice. Apart from a certain inefficiency, however, no breaches of service could be proven. After his resignation as post minister, Meigs returned to Marietta , where he died in 1825.

legacy

Fort Meigs in Perrysburg , Ohio was named after the governor during the Anglo-American War of 1812, as was Meigs County, Ohio . ( Meigs County, Tennessee was named for his father.)

First name

The name Return Jonathan Meigs, which his father had already used, comes from the time when his parents became a couple. Jonathan, the father of Return Jonathan Meigs Sr. recruited a Quaker , but she turned him down several times. During his last visit to her, when he was about to leave, she suddenly called after him that he should come back ("Return Jonathan."). These words made him so happy that he named them for his firstborn son.

Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. was married to Sophia Wright, with whom he had a daughter. Return J. Meigs Jr. was disappointed not to have a male heir. A younger brother, Thomas, named one of his sons Return J. Meigs III. This son passed the bar exam in Frankfort, Kentucky , but began practicing in Athens , Tennessee and also became prominent in state affairs. William Parish Chilton was one of his law students . Meigs died on October 20, 1891.

literature

  • Robert Sobel, John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 3, Meckler Books, Westport 1978.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b New York Herald Tribune, October 21, 1891, quoted from GenealogyBank News May 2011 , accessed June 8, 2011 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Meigs, Return Jonathan junior
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meigs, Return Jonathan Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Politician (Ohio)
DATE OF BIRTH November 17, 1764
PLACE OF BIRTH Middletown , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1825
Place of death Marietta , Ohio