American politician
Peter Early
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In office
November 5, 1813 ? November 20, 1815
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Preceded by
| David Brydie Mitchell
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Succeeded by
| David Brydie Mitchell
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In office
January 10, 1803 ? March 3, 1807
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Preceded by
| John Milledge
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Succeeded by
| Howell Cobb
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Born
| Peter Early
(
1773-06-20
)
June 20, 1773
Madison
,
Colony of Virginia
,
British America
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Died
| August 15, 1817
(1817-08-15)
(aged 44)
Scull Shoals
, Georgia, US
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Political party
| Democratic-Republican Party
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Alma mater
| Washington and Lee University
Princeton University
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Signature
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Peter Early
(June 20, 1773 ? August 15, 1817) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who served as governor of Georgia and as a
U.S. congressman
during the early 19th century.
Early life
[
edit
]
He was born near
Madison
in the
Colony of Virginia
, in 1773, the son of Joel Early and Lucy Smith. He had a sister, Lucy, who later married
Charles Lewis Mathews
,
[1]
and a brother,
Eleazer
, who built the first hotel in
Savannah, Georgia
. His cousin, Jubal Early, became the grandfather of
Jubal Anderson Early
(1816?1894), later a prominent Confederate general.
Peter Early graduated from the Lexington Academy (current-day
Washington and Lee University
). He later graduated from
Princeton College
, in 1792. His family moved to
Wilkes County, Georgia
, on the central eastern border, that same year. Early was
studying law
with
Jared Ingersoll
in
Philadelphia
. After finishing his legal studies, Peter Early joined his family in Wilkes County.
There he married Ann Adams Smith in 1793. In 1796 he began his
law practice
in
Washington
, the county seat of Wilkes County.
Political life
[
edit
]
Early was elected as a
Representative
from Georgia to the
8th United States Congress
to serve the remainder of the term left vacant by the resignation of
John Milledge
, who had been elected as Governor of Georgia. Early was re-elected to the
9th Congress
. During his congressional service, Early was one of the
House managers
(prosecutors) in the
impeachment trials
of
John Pickering
,
New Hampshire United States District Court judge
, in January 1804, and
Samuel Chase
,
Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
,
in December of that year
. Early did not seek reelection in 1806.
After his congressional service,
[2]
Early was elected by the
Georgia General Assembly
as judge of the Superior Court, Ocmulgee Circuit, serving in that court from 1807 until 1813. The respect and popularity he gained from his service on the bench propelled him to be elected the
28th Governor of Georgia
in 1813. He served one term, through 1815, during which he was instrumental in committing funds on several occasions from the state treasury to help raise and supply additional troops from Georgia to the American military forces during the latter half of the
War of 1812
.
[3]
Early moved to
Greene County
after his gubernatorial term, where he was elected to the
Georgia Senate
.
Death
[
edit
]
During his term in the Georgia Senate, Peter Early died on August 15, 1817, at his summer home near Scull Shoals in Greene County. He was buried on the west bank of the
Oconee River
near his Fontenoy Plantation home,
[4]
with a simple monument to mark his grave.
In 1914, his family had his remains reinterred in the
Greensboro
City Cemetery.
Legacy and honors
[
edit
]
Early County, Georgia
,
[5]
and Fort Early
[6]
were named in his honor.
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Patrick, Rembert W. (2010).
Florida Fiasco: Rampant Rebels on the Georgia-Florida Border, 1810?1815
. University of Georgia Press, 2010.
ISBN
0820335495
, 9780820335490
- ^
Early, Peter.
"Letter, 1806 Apr. 19, Washington City, [to] Governor [John] Milledge / Peter Early"
.
Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730?1842
. Digital Library of Georgia
. Retrieved
June 11,
2016
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Early, Peter.
"[Letter], 1813 Nov. [to] Gen[era]l [David B.?] Mitchell / Peter Early"
.
Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730?1842
. Digital Library of Georgia
. Retrieved
June 11,
2016
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Governor Peter Early historical marker"
. Digital Library of Georgia
. Retrieved
June 11,
2016
.
- ^
Gannett, Henry (1905).
The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States
. Govt. Print. Off. pp.
112
.
- ^
"Fort Early historical marker"
. Digital Library of Georgia
. Retrieved
June 11,
2016
.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
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]
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Other
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