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James Jackson (September 21, 1757 – March 19, 1806) was an early British-born
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
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, ...
of the
Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 until 1791. He was also a
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
from
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
from 1793 to 1795, and from 1801 until his death in 1806. In 1797 he was elected 23rd Governor of Georgia, serving from 1798 to 1801 before returning to the senate.


Early life

Jackson was born in
Moretonhampstead Moretonhampstead (anciently ''Moreton Hampstead'') is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe (), and ...
,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
shire,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. He immigrated at age 15 to
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
in 1772, and it was then that he became a ward of Savannah lawyer, John Wereat. As a young man, Jackson became well known as a
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and ...
ist with a fiery temper; in February 1780 he killed Georgia governor George Wells in a duel. In 1785, he married Mary Charlotte Young, with whom he had five sons, four of whom later became prominent in the state's public affairs. He owned slaves.


Revolutionary War

During the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, he served in the
1st Brigade Georgia Militia The 1st Brigade Georgia Militia was raised for service with the Continental Army as part of 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 Pro ...
at the defense of Savannah, the
Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Kingdom of Great Britain, British for ...
, and the recapture of Augusta and Savannah. When the British left Savannah in July 1782, General
Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
gave Jackson the privilege of receiving the keys to the city. Even after the Revolutionary War, Jackson remained an important and influential figure in the Georgia Militia; he participated in the expansionist drive against the
Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
in Georgia. Jackson eventually thus rose to the rank of brigadier general of Georgia's militia in 1786 and major general in 1792.


Political career

After the war, he built up his law practice in Savannah. Jackson was elected to the first Georgia state legislature in 1777 after he had been clerk of court in the Provincial Congress. His interest in the military was rekindled when he joined the Georgia militia in the defense of Georgia frontier settlers against Indian inhabitants. In 1788, Jackson was elected governor of Georgia but declined the position, citing his inexperience. In 1789, Jackson was elected to the First United States Congress. Prior to his election, though, Jackson had to fight an uphill battle in one of Georgia's most contentious districts. The First District was the least populated district in the state, and the three-fifths ratio in counting slaves, the district was considered to have a population of over 16,000 individuals. The district in which Jackson ran for Congress was one of the most contested in the state. During the election, Jackson had to campaign against two popular people who had all served in Congress, William Houston and Henry Osborne. Jackson won the seat for the first district by a narrow margin, and the result was unsuccessfully challenged by Osborne. As a Jeffersonian Republican, he vigorously opposed Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charle ...
's financial plans for federal assumption of the states' debts from the Revolutionary War. Jackson opposed many of Hamilton’s plans on how to relieve the states of their debts from the Revolutionary War. One of the first plans that Hamilton proposed was that of placing a tax on spirits. The proposition received a resounding rebuttal from Jackson who said that it would "deprive the mass of the people of almost the only luxury they enjoy, that of distilled spirits." It was originally suggested that the tax would be $0.15 per gallon tax, but Jackson countered that with a $0.12 per gallon tax. Jackson’s suggestion was denied so the bill was passed with the $0.15 per gallon tax on distilled spirits. The next bill that Jackson and Hamilton fought over was the assumption of states’ debts from the war. Hamilton wanted to lump all of the states' debts from the Revolutionary War into one national debt in which the states all worked together to pay off the debt. Jackson strongly believed that states like Georgia that accumulated little debt during the war should not have to work to pay off other states' debts by paying more taxes. He was also strongly opposed to efforts to curtail
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. He warned that ending slavery would "(...) light up the flame of civil discord for the people of the Southern States (...) they will never suffer themselves to be divested of their property without a struggle.” While serving as a member of the House of Representatives, Jackson was a very active member; he served on over 20 committees and reported on many more. It was during his first term that Jackson became known for his fiery temper and personality; there was a point when he became so impassioned over the topic at hand that the senators who were meeting above the House chambers had to close the windows so as to muffle Jackson's voice. Defeated for re-election in 1791 by his former Revolutionary commander,
Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
(for whom Wayne County is named), in a campaign rife with charges of irregularities on the part of Wayne's supporters, Jackson contested the outcome. He was convinced that Wayne had not won his seat fairly so he mounted a campaign against Wayne and his supporters, and finally succeeded in removing Wayne from Congress. Making effective use of grand jury presentments and newspapers, Jackson secured a seat in the legislature and subsequently oversaw the ouster of Wayne's campaign manager from his state judgeship. Jackson then took his struggle for vindication to Congress, where he convinced the House that Wayne had not won fairly. He failed to regain his seat after the tie-breaking vote of the Federalist Speaker. Meanwhile, the state of Georgia sold millions of acres of its western lands, called the Yazoo region, at extremely low prices to a group of investors. Jackson, believing that the sale was influenced by bribery of state legislatures, resigned his post in the Senate to run for a seat in the Georgia legislature in 1795. He won the election and began to lead a campaign to repeal the Yazoo land sale. In 1798, he won the election for governor of Georgia and proceeded to implement the legislation repealing the Yazoo land sale. Jackson placed blame for the Yazoo land fraud on his political enemies, including James Gunn and the Federalists. He built the Georgia
Democratic-Republican party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
and led it to statewide dominance. He was a
presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
in the 1796 presidential election. Jackson was re-elected to the Senate in 1801 and served until his death in 1806.


Legacy

He is buried in the
Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...
, a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...
. Jackson was the patriarch of a political dynasty in Georgia. His son, Jabez Young Jackson, was a representative from Georgia in the Twenty-fourth and
Twenty-fifth United States Congress The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...
. His grandson, also named James Jackson, was a U.S. Representative from Georgia, a judge advocate on the staff of General
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nea ...
and a trustee of the
University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...
. Jackson is the namesake of
Jackson County, Georgia Jackson County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,485. The county seat is Jefferson. Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical A ...
,
Jackson, Georgia Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,045 in 2010, up from 3,934 at the 2000 census. The community was named after governor James Jackson. History Founded in 1826, Jackson began ...
, James Jackson Parkway Northwest in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
.
Fort James Jackson Fort James Jackson (usually shortened to Fort Jackson and informally known as Old Fort Jackson) is a restored nineteenth-century fort located one mile east of Savannah, Georgia, on the Savannah River. It hosts the Fort Jackson Maritime Museum. ...
, which protected the city of Savannah from attack by sea during most of the nineteenth century, is today a museum and restored garrison. The
ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
of
Jacksonboro, Georgia Jacksonboro is a ghost town in Screven County, in the U.S. state of Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgi ...
is also named for Jackson.


See also

* List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States * List of United States senators born outside the United States *
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) The following is a list of United States senators and representatives who died of natural or accidental causes, or who killed themselves, while serving their terms between 1790 and 1899. For a list of members of Congress who were killed while in ...


References

*Jackson, James
Documents.
E. Merton Coulter manuscript collection II. MS 2345. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries. From America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia. Web. Retrieved 21 May 2016. *Jackson, James
Papers of James Jackson, 1781-1798
From Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, Georgia Historical Society, 1955, Georgia Historical Society. Web. Retrieved 21 May 2016.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, James 1757 births 1806 deaths People from Moretonhampstead British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies American people of English descent American Congregationalists Anti-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Anti-Administration Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers American slave owners Politicians from Savannah, Georgia People from Jackson County, Georgia 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians Georgia (U.S. state) militiamen in the American Revolution People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Revolution Burials at the Congressional Cemetery 1796 United States presidential electors United States senators who owned slaves