George Washington Bonaparte Towns (May 4, 1801 – July 15, 1854) was a United States lawyer, legislator, and politician. He served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
on three occasions and was the
39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851.
Early life and education
![George W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/George_W._B._Towns_House%3B_Talbotton%2C_GA_%28NRHP%29.JPG)
Towns was born in
Wilkes County, Georgia
Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,593. The county seat is the city of Washington.
Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and c ...
to Margaret George Hardwick and John Towns in 1801. His parents were Virginians who had moved to Georgia and settled in Wilkes County.
Shortly after his birth, the Towns family moved throughout Georgia, where he received a small preparatory education. He then began to study medicine in
Eatonton, but after his studies were interrupted by an injury, he moved to
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, which had recently joined the Union. There, he studied law and, in 1824 was admitted to the Montgomery bar.
Early career
As time went by, Towns continued to gain prominence and in 1826 acquired the ''Alabama Journal'' newspaper. During that same year he married his first wife, Margaret Jane Campbell, whose poor health led to her death several days after the marriage ceremony. Following the death of his wife, Towns moved back to Georgia and settled in Talbot County.
In 1828, Towns became one of the original town commissioners of
Talbotton, where he also established a law office. During this period Towns served as colonel in the 65th Regiment of the Georgia Militia.
Political career
Towns began his 22-year political career in 1829 as a strong
Unionist and opponent of
nullification
Nullification may refer to:
* Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution
* Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...
in the
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. ...
and
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 ...
.
He was subsequently elected to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
on three occasions. He served a partial term in the House from 1835 to 1836 and a full term from 1837 to 1839. He served a third term from 1846 to 1847.
He served as the
39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851. On September 23, 1850, Towns asked the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...
to allow a special election to send delegates to a state convention to pass judgment on the
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired in the Mexican–Am ...
.
Towns’ wife, Mary Winston Jones Towns, was the daughter of
John Winston Jones
John Winston Jones (November 22, 1791 – January 29, 1848) was an American politician and lawyer. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1845. He served as Speaker of the House in both the U.S. House of ...
, who served as
Speaker of the U.S. House
The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...
from 1843 to 1845. Towns and Jones served concurrently in the House for a time.
Death and legacy
Towns died in Macon, Georgia on July 15, 1854, and is interred at the
Rose Hill Cemetery in that town.
Towns County, Georgia
Towns County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,493. Its county seat is Hiawassee. The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for United States lawyer, ...
is named in his honor.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towns, George W.
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
Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers
Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama
1801 births
1854 deaths
People from Wilkes County, Georgia
People from Talbotton, Georgia
Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
American slave owners
19th-century American politicians