William Schley

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William Schley

William Schley (born December 10, 1786 in Frederick , Maryland , † November 20, 1858 in Richmond County , Georgia ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Georgia, which he also represented in Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Schley, of German descent, came to Jefferson County in Georgia with his parents as a child . He attended school in Louisville and Augusta , studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1812. For the next few years he ran a law firm in Augusta. In 1825 he became a judge at the Intermediate District Court.

His political career began in 1830 when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1832 he entered the United States House of Representatives for the Democrats . He resigned that mandate in 1835 after being elected governor of Georgia.

Georgia Governor

His tenure was overshadowed , among other things, by the conflict over the Cherokee . This conflict had preoccupied his predecessors Wilson Lumpkin and George Gilmer . In close cooperation with General Winfield Scott , the governor put down isolated Indian uprisings and carried out the Indian Removal Act . The Cherokee were relocated on the Path of Tears towards Oklahoma . Schley was a staunch advocate of slavery in the southern states. He demanded, albeit in vain, the state of Maine to extradite men who had helped slaves from Georgia escape north. Schley offered a reward of $ 5,000 for the arrest of the publisher William Lloyd Garrison , who was vehemently campaigning for the end of slavery in the north. Garrison was never arrested.

Otherwise, the governor campaigned for various domestic political projects. These included state welfare for the mentally disabled, establishing a Georgia Supreme Court, revising the state's laws, improving river navigation, and helping the Western and Atlantic Railroad , the only railroad company in Georgia to be built with public money.

Old age and death

In the 1837 election he was short of 700 votes for re-election. The election winner was ex-Governor Gilmer. Schley then retired to Richmond County, where he took care of his private interests for the next 20 years. Together with his brothers, he ran a cotton mill and a textile factory, which among other things also made clothes for slaves. The operations were an economic success. Schley died on November 20, 1858 and was buried in the family cemetery.

Schley was married three times. He had three children with his first wife, Charlotte Kirkley. In 1822 he married Elizabeth Sara Hargrove, with whom he had a child. After her death in 1845 he married Sophia Kerr. He was also a member of a Masonic Lodge. The Schley County , Georgia is named after him.

literature

  • James F. Cook: The Governors of Georgia 1754-2004. 3rd edition, Mercer University Press, Macon (Georgia) 2005.
  • Kenneth Coleman and Charles Stephen Gurr (Eds.): Dictionary of Georgia Biography. University of Georgia Press, Athens 1983, sv "Schley, William."

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schley, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1786
PLACE OF BIRTH Frederick , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH November 20, 1858
Place of death Richmond County , Georgia