John Alfred Cuthbert (June 3, 1788 – September 22, 1881) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician, soldier and lawyer. He was the brother of

Alfred Cuthbert Alfred Cuthbert (December 23, 1785July 9, 1856) was a United States representative and Senator from Georgia. He should not be confused with his brother, John Alfred Cuthbert. Life and career Cuthbert was born in Savannah. He was instructed by pr ...

Biography

Born in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

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 ...

in 1788, Cuthbert graduated from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, studied law, gained admission to the state bar in 1809 and began practicing law in

Eatonton, Georgia Eatonton is a city in and county seat of Putnam County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 6,307. It was named after William Eaton, an officer and diplomat involved in the First Barbary War. The name con ...

. Cuthbert served 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. T ...

in 1811, 1813 and 1817. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, he commanded a volunteer company. In 1814 and 1815, Cuthbert served 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 ...

. In 1818, he was elected as a

Democratic-Republican 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 early ...

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

from Georgia to the

16th United States Congress The 16th 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, 1819, ...

and served from March 4, 1819, until March 3, 1821. In 1822,

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

appointed Cuthbert as a commissioner to treat with the

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Indians. Cuthbert was also reelected to the Georgia house of representatives in 1822. In 1830, 1833 and 1834, he was the secretary of the Georgia Senate. From 1831 to 1837, he served as editor and subsequently proprietor of the

Federal Union A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a political union, union of partially Federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central #Federal governments, federal gover ...

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...

. In 1837, Cuthbert moved to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, and practiced law. In 1840, Cuthbert was elected judge of the county court of

Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile, whi ...

. In 1852, the

Governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

appointed Cuthbert judge of the circuit court of Mobile County in 1852. After stepping down from that judicial post, Cuthbert practiced law until his death on September 22, 1881, at ''Sans Souci'', on

Mon Louis Island Mon Louis Island, originally known as Isle aux Maraguans, is an island on the coast of the U.S. state of Alabama, south of Mobile, Alabama, Mobile. Located in southeastern Mobile County, Alabama, Mobile County, it has an average elevation of . Rou ...

in the

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

off the coast of Alabama. He was buried in a private burying ground on that same island.

Legacy

Cuthbert, Georgia Cuthbert is a city in, and the county seat of, Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,520 in 2019. History Cuthbert was founded by European Americans in 1831 as seat of the newly formed Randolph County, after Indian Remo ...

, was named in his honor.

Notes

References

1788 births 1881 deaths Politicians from Savannah, Georgia Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) state senators People from Eatonton, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Alabama state court judges American slave owners 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Princeton University alumni American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 {{US-mil-bio-stub