John Forsyth | |
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| 13thUnited 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 fromGeorgia | |
| 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 |
| 33rdGovernor of Georgia | |
| In office November 7, 1827 – November 4, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | George Troup |
| Succeeded by | George Gilmer |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1827 – November 7, 1827 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency reestablished |
| Succeeded by | Richard Henry Wilde |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia'sat-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 |
| 5thUnited States Minister to Spain | |
| In office May 18, 1819 – March 2, 1823 | |
| President | James Monroe |
| Preceded by | George W. Erving |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Nelson |
| 12thAttorney General of Georgia | |
| In office 1808–1811 | |
| Governor | Jared Irwin David Mitchell |
| Preceded by | John Hamil |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1780-10-22)October 22, 1780 Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 21, 1841(1841-10-21) (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 fromGeorgia. He represented the state in both theHouse of Representatives and theSenate, and also served as the33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of PresidentAndrew Jackson, Forsyth was appointed the 13thUnited States Secretary of State by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency ofMartin Van Buren. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency ofJames Monroe.
Forsyth was born inFredericksburg, Virginia. His father,Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the firstU.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794.[1][2] He was an attorney who graduated from theCollege of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter ofJosiah Meigs, in 1801. One of his sons,John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.
Forsyth served in theUnited States House of Representatives (1813–1818 and 1823–1827), theUnited States Senate (1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was theUnited States Secretary of State from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to theAmistad case.[3] He was a loyal follower ofAndrew Jackson[4] and opposedJohn C. Calhoun in the issue ofnullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply toTheodore Frelinghuysen about theIndian Removal Act of 1830.[5][6] He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.[7]
Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried inCongressional Cemetery.Forsyth County, Georgia,[8]Forsyth, Georgia,[9] andForsyth Park[10] in Savannah are named for him.[11] He died the day before his 61st birthday.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Media related toJohn Forsyth at Wikimedia Commons| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by John Hamil | Attorney General of Georgia 1808–1811 | Succeeded by Alexander Allen |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| New seat | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district 1813–1818 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district 1823–1827 | Districts established |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee 1823–1827 | Succeeded by |
| Constituency reestablished | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 2nd congressional district 1827 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1818–1819 Served alongside:Charles Tait | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia 1829–1834 Served alongside:George Troup,John King | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Commerce Committee 1831–1832 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee 1832–1833 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Finance Committee 1832–1833 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Minister to Spain 1819–1823 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Georgia 1827–1829 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of State 1834–1841 | Succeeded by |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain (1825–1913) | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain (1913–present) | |
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| Interstate Commerce (1887–1947) | ||
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| Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1977–present) | ||
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