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John Forsyth (politician)
American politician (1780–1841)
American politician (1780–1841)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | John Forsyth |
| image | John Forsyth US Secretary of State.jpg |
| office | 13th United States Secretary of State |
| president | Andrew Jackson |
| Martin Van Buren | |
| term_start | July 1, 1834 |
| term_end | March 4, 1841 |
| predecessor | Louis McLane |
| successor | Daniel Webster |
| jr/sr1 | United States Senator |
| state1 | Georgia |
| term_start1 | November 9, 1829 |
| term_end1 | June 27, 1834 |
| predecessor1 | John M. Berrien |
| successor1 | Alfred Cuthbert |
| term_start2 | November 23, 1818 |
| term_end2 | February 17, 1819 |
| predecessor2 | George Troup |
| successor2 | Freeman Walker |
| office3 | 33rd Governor of Georgia |
| term_start3 | November 7, 1827 |
| term_end3 | November 4, 1829 |
| predecessor3 | George Troup |
| successor3 | George Gilmer |
| state4 | Georgia |
| constituency4 | (1823–1827) |
| (1827) | |
| term_start4 | March 4, 1823 |
| term_end4 | November 7, 1827 |
| predecessor4 | Robert R. Reid |
| successor4 | Richard H. Wilde |
| constituency5 | |
| term_start5 | March 4, 1813 |
| term_end5 | November 23, 1818 |
| predecessor5 | District established |
| successor5 | Robert R. Reid |
| office7 | 5th United States Minister to Spain |
| president7 | James Monroe |
| term_start7 | May 18, 1819 |
| term_end7 | March 2, 1823 |
| predecessor7 | George W. Erving |
| successor7 | Hugh Nelson |
| office8 | 12th Attorney General of Georgia |
| governor8 | Jared Irwin |
| David Mitchell | |
| term_start8 | 1808 |
| term_end8 | 1811 |
| predecessor8 | John Hamil |
| successor8 | Alexander Allen |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| relatives | Robert Forsyth (father), Fanny Forsyth (mother), Robert Forsyth (brother) |
| party | Democratic-Republican (before 1825) |
| Democratic (1825–1841) | |
| education | College of New Jersey (BA) |
| (renamed Princeton) | |
| signature | Signature of Georgia politician John Forsyth Sr.png |
Martin Van Buren | jr/sr1 = United States Senator (1827) David Mitchell Democratic (1825–1841) (renamed Princeton)
John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician from Georgia. He represented the state in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also served as the 33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, Forsyth was appointed the 13th United States Secretary of State by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency of Martin Van Buren. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency of James Monroe.
Early life
Forsyth was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1794, his father, Robert Forsyth was the first United States federal law enforcement officer to be killed in the line-of-duty. He was an attorney who graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of Josiah Meigs, in 1801. One of his sons, John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.
Political life
Forsyth served in the United States House of Representatives (1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the United States Senate (1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the 33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the United States Secretary of State from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the Amistad case. He was a loyal follower of Andrew Jackson and opposed John C. Calhoun in the issue of nullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply to Theodore Frelinghuysen about the Indian Removal Act of 1830. He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.
Death and legacy
Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Forsyth County, Georgia, Forsyth, Georgia, and Forsyth Park in Savannah are named for him. He died the day before his 61st birthday.
In popular culture
- In the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie, Amistad, Forsyth was played by character actor David Paymer.
Notes
References
References
- (Fall 2008). "Killed in the Line of Duty: Marshal Robert Harriss, Jr., of Summerville, Georgia". Georgia Historical Quarterly.
- (January 25, 2019). "What's in a name? Historian talks about where road, area names originated in Cumming, Forsyth County". Forsyth News.
- (2012). "John Quincy Adams". Da Capo Press.
- (2007). "What Hath God Wrought : The Transformation of America, 1815–1848". New York.
- (2014). "Andrew Jackson, Southerner". Louisiana State University Press.
- (Winter 2007). "Georgia and the Conversation over Indian Removal". Georgia Historical Quarterly.
- (2010). "In the shadow of freedom : the politics of slavery in the national capital". Ohio University Press.
- "Forsyth County historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia.
- "Forsyth historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia.
- "Forsyth Park historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia.
- Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
- (December 10, 1997). "Amistad (1997)".
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