Peter Early | |
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| 28th Governor of Georgia | |
| In office November 5, 1813 – November 20, 1815 | |
| Preceded by | David Brydie Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | David Brydie Mitchell |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia'sat-large district | |
| In office January 10, 1803 – March 3, 1807 | |
| Preceded by | John Milledge |
| Succeeded by | Howell Cobb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Early (1773-06-20)June 20, 1773 |
| Died | August 15, 1817(1817-08-15) (aged 44) Scull Shoals, Georgia, US |
| Resting place | West bank of theOconee River |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Alma mater | Washington and Lee University Princeton University |
| Signature | .png) |
Peter Early (June 20, 1773 – August 15, 1817) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who served as governor of Georgia and as a two-term U.S. congressman during the early 19th century.
He was born nearMadison in theColony of Virginia, in 1773, the son of Joel Early and Lucy Smith. He had a sister, Lucy, who later marriedCharles Lewis Mathews,[1] and a brother,Eleazer, who built the first hotel inSavannah, Georgia. His cousin, Jubal Early, became the grandfather ofJubal Anderson Early (1816–1894), later a prominent Confederate general.
Peter Early graduated from the Lexington Academy (current-dayWashington and Lee University). He later graduated fromPrinceton College, in 1792. His family moved toWilkes County, Georgia, on the central eastern border, that same year. Early wasstudying law withJared Ingersoll inPhiladelphia. 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 hislaw practice inWashington, the county seat of Wilkes County.
Early was elected as aRepresentative from Georgia to the8th United States Congress to serve the remainder of the term left vacant by the resignation ofJohn Milledge, who had been elected as Governor of Georgia. Early was re-elected to the9th Congress. During his congressional service, Early was one of theHouse managers (prosecutors) in theimpeachment trials ofJohn Pickering,New Hampshire United States District Court judge, in January 1804, andSamuel 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 theGeorgia 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 the28th 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 theWar of 1812.[3]
Early moved toGreene County after his gubernatorial term, where he was elected to theGeorgia Senate.
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 theOconee River near his Fontenoy Plantation home,[4] with a simple monument to mark his grave.
In 1914, his family had his remains reinterred in theGreensboro City Cemetery.
Early County, Georgia,[5] and Fort Early[6] were named in his honor.
Georgia Scenes.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district January 10, 1803 – March 3, 1807 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Georgia November 5, 1813 – November 20, 1815 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
