George Walton

George Walton
United States Senator from Georgia
In office November 16, 1795 – February 20, 1796
Preceded by	James Jackson
Succeeded by	Josiah Tattnall
Acting Governor of Georgia
In office January 7, 1789 – November 9, 1790
Preceded by	George Handley
Succeeded by	Edward Telfair
Delegate from Georgia to the Continental Congress
In office 1776 – 1777, 1780–1781
Personal details
Born	1749 Cumberland County, Virginia
Died	February 2, 1804 (aged 54–55) Augusta, Georgia
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Relations	The Walton family of Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina.
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Georgia Militia
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Capture of Savannah

George Walton (1749 – February 2, 1804) signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia and also served as the second Chief Executive of that state.

Life and work

George Walton was born in Virginia. His parents died when he was an infant, resulting in his adoption by an uncle with whom he entered apprenticeship as a carpenter. Walton was a studious young man, but his uncle actively discouraged all study, believing a studious boy to be an idle one. Walton continued studying and once his apprenticeship ended, he moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1769 to study law under a Mr. Young, and was admitted to the bar in 1774. His brother was John Walton.

He became an advocate of the patriot cause and was elected Secretary of the Georgia Provincial Congress and became president of the Council of Safety. He was elected to the Continental Congress, a position he held until the end of 1778. He was commissioned a Colonel of the First Regiment of the Georgia Militia. He was put in the battalion of General Robert Howe. During the Battle of Savannah, Walton was involved in the defense of the city. However a slave showed the British, led by Colonel Campbell, a path to the rear of the city, by which they were able to take the city, attacking from the front and the rear. Walton was injured in the battle and taken prisoner. He was freed through a prisoner exchange in 1779.

Soon after this in October 1779, Walton was elected Governor of Georgia, a position he held for only two months. In November 1795, he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Jackson. Walton only served in that position from November 16, 1795, to February 20, 1796, until a successor, Josiah Tattnall, was officially elected.

He was a political ally of the Scottish General Lachlan McIntosh and a foe of Button Gwinnett. He and Gwinnett's political battles resulted in his expulsion from office and indictment for various criminal activities.

He was censured for his role in a duel which resulted in Button Gwinnett's death. He became Chief Justice of Georgia, 1783–89, Governor of Georgia in 1789, and U.S. Senator in 1795.

Walton also was colonel in the army and when he was riding his horse a cannonball was fired and it hit him in the leg. With a broken leg Walton was held captive for the British army for two years. He was exchanged for a British naval officer and released, despite his having been a signer of the Declaration, which, technically, made him a traitor to the British crown.

Offices held

The offices he held were:

• Continental Congress (1776–78)
• Colonel of the First Georgia Militia (1778)
• Governor of Georgia (1779–80)
• U.S. Congress (1780–1781)
• Chief Justice of Georgia (1783–89)
• Governor of Georgia (1789–90)
• U.S. Senator (1795–96)

Death

He died in Augusta, Georgia on February 2, 1804, at his home, College Hill, near Augusta. He was initially buried at Rosney, home of his nephew Robert Watkins; however, he was re-interred in 1848 beneath the Signers Monument in front of the courthouse on Greene Street in Augusta.

Legacy

Walton County, which is about 30 miles east of the city of Atlanta, is named for him. There are also at least two schools that bear his name. George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Georgia and George Walton Academy, a private school in Monroe, Georgia.

His granddaughter, Octavia Le Vert, was a noted socialite and author.^[1]

His great nephew Thomas George Walton built Creekside near Morganton, North Carolina.^[2]

References

• George Walton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856

Notes

1. Satterfield, Frances Gibson (1987). Madame Le Vert: A Biography of Octavia Le Vert. Edisto Island, S.C.: Edisto Press. ISBN 978-0-9618589-1-9.
2. John B. Wells, III (September 1971). "Creekside" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2014-08-01.