George Walton, Georgia

George Walton

George Walton was a member of the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in Virginia in 1750. The early death of his parents left him to stay with his uncle. His uncle, who was a carpenter, took him on as an apprentice. Walton was inquisitive at a young age, and went on to study law after his apprenticeship was completed. He moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1769, where he pursued a degree in law. Walton studied under Mr. Henry Young, and was called to the bar in 1774, embarking on a very successful career in law. Soon after, he became interested, and eventually involved in the patriot cause.

Walton was elected Secretary of the Provincial Congress for Georgia and by the end of 1775, had been elected to the position of President of the Council of Safety. His selection as one of Georgia’s representatives to the Continental Congress came in January of 1776. He held the position until 1778, when he returned to Georgia to assist in military matters. He became a Colonel in the First Regiment of the Georgia Militia. He fought in the Battle of Savannah, protecting the city from the British. The battle was lost, and Walton was injured and captured. He would later be released in 1779 as part of a prisoner exchange. In October of that year, Walton was elected Governor of Georgia. He only held that position for two months, and in January 1780 returned to the Continental Congress. He came back to Georgia in 1783 to fill the position of Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court. In 1789 he again became Governor, while the state was adopting a constitution. Walton went on to hold a position in the United States Senate, temporarily filling a seat that was vacated by the retirement of James Jackson.

George Walton died on February 2, 1804. He was a statesman of the highest degree, a gifted lawyer, and served proudly in combat during the Revolutionary War. Although not one of the more recognised signers of the Declaration, his contributions to the birth of the nation, and his state of Georgia, were significant.


http://www.georgiahistory.com/walton.htm
Georgia Historical Society, 501 Whitaker Street, Savannah, Georgia.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000114
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress