John Forsyth (politician)

John Forsyth
John Forsyth
13th United States Secretary of State
	In office; July 1, 1834 – March 4, 1841
President	Andrew Jackson; Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	Louis McLane
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
United States Senator; from Georgia
	In office; November 9, 1829 – June 27, 1834
Preceded by	John M. Berrien
Succeeded by	Alfred Cuthbert
	In office; November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819
Preceded by	George Troup
Succeeded by	Freeman Walker
33rd Governor of Georgia
	In office; November 7, 1827 – November 4, 1829
Preceded by	George Troup
Succeeded by	George Gilmer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Georgia's 2nd district
	In office; March 4, 1827 – November 7, 1827
Preceded by	Constituency reestablished
Succeeded by	Richard Henry Wilde
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Georgia's at-large district
	In office; March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1827
Preceded by	Robert R. Reid
Succeeded by	Districts established
	In office; March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1818
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Robert R. Reid
United States Minister to Spain
	In office; May 18, 1819 – March 2, 1823
President	James Monroe
Preceded by	George W. Erving
Succeeded by	Hugh Nelson
12th Attorney General of Georgia
	In office; 1808–1811
Governor	Jared Irwin; David Mitchell
Preceded by	John Hamil
Succeeded by	Alexander Allen
Personal details
Born	October 22, 1780; Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 21, 1841 (aged 60); Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1825); Democratic (1825–1841)
Education	College of New Jersey (BA); (renamed Princeton)
Signature

John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780 – October 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. His father, Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the first U.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794.^[1]^[2] 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.^[3] He was a loyal follower of Andrew Jackson^[4] 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.^[5]^[6] He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.^[7]

Death and legacy

Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Forsyth County, Georgia,^[8] Forsyth, Georgia,^[9] and Forsyth Park^[10] in Savannah are named for him.^[11] 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.^[12]

Notes

^ Brown, Russell K. (Fall 2008). "Killed in the Line of Duty: Marshal Robert Harriss, Jr., of Summerville, Georgia". Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (3). Retrieved October 25, 2016.
^ Whitmire, Kelly (January 25, 2019). "What's in a name? Historian talks about where road, area names originated in Cumming, Forsyth County". Forsyth News. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
^ Unger, Harlow G. (2012). John Quincy Adams. Boston: Da Capo Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780306822650. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ Howe, Daniel Walker (2007). What Hath God Wrought : The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. Oxford University Press: New York. p. 346. ISBN 9780195078947. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ Cheathem, Mark Renfred (2014). Andrew Jackson, Southerner. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0807150986.
^ Morris, Michael (Winter 2007). "Georgia and the Conversation over Indian Removal". Georgia Historical Quarterly. 91 (4). Retrieved October 25, 2016.
^ Finkelman, Paul; Kennon, Donald R. (2010). In the shadow of freedom : the politics of slavery in the national capital. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0821419342.
^ "Forsyth County historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ "Forsyth historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ "Forsyth Park historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 128.
^ "Amistad (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. December 10, 1997. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Duckett, Alvin Laroy (1962). John Forsyth, political tactician. Athens: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0820335346. Retrieved June 12, 2016.

External links

United States Congress. "John Forsyth (id: F000284)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
John Forsyth at Find a Grave
Biography at Players in the Amistad Affair
^[permanent dead link‍] Letter, 1825 Mar. 5, Washington, [D.C. to] G[eorge] M. Troup, [Governor of Georgia] / John Forsyth
^[permanent dead link‍] [Letter] 1826 June 15, Sand Hills, [Georgia] / John Forsyth
^[permanent dead link‍] [Letter] 1827 Dec 12, Milledgeville, Georgia, [to Governor] of Tennessee, Sam[ue]l Houston / John Forsyth, Gov[ernor of Georgia]
^[permanent dead link‍] [Letter] 1830 Jan 24, Georgetown, District of Columbia [to] George R. Gilmer, Governor of Georgia / John Forsyth

Legal offices
Preceded by John Hamil	Attorney General of Georgia 1808–1811	Succeeded by Alexander Allen
U.S. House of Representatives
New seat	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district 1813–1818	Succeeded by Robert R. Reid
Preceded by Robert R. Reid	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district 1823–1827	Districts established
Preceded by Jonathan Russell	Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee 1823–1827	Succeeded by Edward Everett
Constituency reestablished	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 2nd congressional district 1827	Succeeded by Richard Henry Wilde
U.S. Senate
Preceded by George Troup	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1818–1819 Served alongside: Charles Tait	Succeeded by Freeman Walker
Preceded by John M. Berrien	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia 1829–1834 Served alongside: George Troup, John King	Succeeded by Alfred Cuthbert
Preceded by Levi Woodbury	Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee 1831–1832	Succeeded by William R. King
Preceded by Littleton Tazewell	Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 1832–1833	Succeeded by William Wilkins
Preceded by Samuel Smith	Chair of the Senate Finance Committee 1832–1833	Succeeded by Daniel Webster
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by George W. Erving	United States Minister to Spain 1819–1823	Succeeded by Hugh Nelson
Political offices
Preceded by George Troup	Governor of Georgia 1827–1829	Succeeded by George Gilmer
Preceded by Louis McLane	United States Secretary of State 1834–1841	Succeeded by Daniel Webster