William Stephens (Georgia)

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William Stephens (born January 28, 1671 on the Isle of Wight , England , † August 1753 in the Province of Georgia ) was an English politician and colonial governor of the Province of Georgia.

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William Stephens, who is also written as Stevens in some sources, was born to William Stephens Sr. and his wife Elizabeth. The father was Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Wight. The younger Stephens graduated from Winchester College and King's College , Cambridge . He also studied law, but failed to get admitted to the bar. Since 1696 he was married to Mary Newdigate, with whom he had nine children. Between 1702 and 1727 he was a member of the House of Commons , first for Newport and later for Newtown . In the late 1720s he ran into financial difficulties, after which he accepted a job as an agent for York Building Co. in Scotland . At that time he was also in the wood business.

In 1736, Colonel Horsey, his former boss at York Building Co , entrusted him with a land survey in colonial South Carolina . There he met James Oglethorpe again, whom he knew from his parliamentary days and who at that time played a leading role in the Georgia colony. After a temporary return to England, he was appointed to the Commission Board of Trustees of the Province of Georgia . He arrived at the colony on November 1, 1737. In 1740 he was entrusted with the control of the colony's finances with Thomas Jones. Obviously, one did not trust the financial policy of James Oglethorpe, the colonial head of the colony at the time (Resident Trustee). At that time, the colony was also divided into two districts, with Stephens becoming head of the Savannah district , while Oglethorpe took over the Frederica district . After Oglethorpe left Georgia forever in 1743, Stephens became sole head of the entire Georgia colony. He held the title of President . In terms of his powers, he was de facto colonial governor. He held this office until 1751, when he gave it up for reasons of age, he was now 80 years old. He was succeeded by Henry Parker . William Stephens died in August 1753 and was buried on the plantation he had acquired in the meantime.

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personal data
SURNAME Stephens, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English politician, governor of the Province of Georgia
DATE OF BIRTH January 28, 1671
PLACE OF BIRTH Isle of Wight
DATE OF DEATH August 1753
Place of death Province of Georgia