Charles James McDonald (July 9, 1793December 16, 1860) was an American attorney,

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

and moved with his family to

Hancock County, Georgia Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a Founding Father of the Amer ...

in 1794. He served as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Georgia Militia The Georgia Militia existed from 1733 to 1879. It was originally planned by General James Oglethorpe prior to the founding of the Province of Georgia, the British colony that would become the U.S. state of Georgia. One reason for the founding of th ...

from 1823 to 1825. McDonald served as the 37th Governor of Georgia from 1839 to 1843, defeating the Whig candidate

William Crosby Dawson William Crosby Dawson (January 4, 1798May 5, 1856) was a lawyer, judge, politician, and soldier from Georgia. Early life, education and legal career Dawson was born in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, January 4, 1798. His parents were Geo ...

. In addition to serving in the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

and

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

, McDonald also served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. McDonald died in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

in 1860 and was buried in the Episcopal Cemetery in that same city.

References

The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry

''Georgia Governor's Gravesites Field Guide (1776-2003)''

External links

Gov. Charles James McDonald
historical marker *
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Charles James McDonald papers, 1834-1854
1793 births 1860 deaths Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina People from Hancock County, Georgia University of South Carolina alumni Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers {{GeorgiaUS-state-judge-stub