John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician 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 ...

. He represented the state in both the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and also served as the 33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, Forsyth was appointed the 13th

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency of

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency of James Monroe.

Early life

Forsyth was born in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

. His father, Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the first

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

to be killed in the line of duty in 1794. He was an attorney who graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of

Josiah Meigs Josiah Meigs (August 21, 1757 – September 4, 1822) was an American academic, journalist and government official. He was the first acting president of the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, Athens, where he implemented the universit ...

, in 1801 or 1802. One of his sons, John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.

Political life

Forsyth 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

(1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

(1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the 33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the

from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the '' Amistad'' case. He was a loyal follower of

and opposed

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

in the issue 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 ...

. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply to

Theodore Frelinghuysen Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787April 12, 1862) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. He was the Whig vice presidential nominee in the election of 1844, running on a ticket with Henry Clay. Bo ...

about the

Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States President Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, and for ...

of 1830. He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.

Death and legacy

Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in

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 ...

Forsyth County, Georgia Forsyth County ( or ) is a County (United States), county in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Suburban and exurban in character, Forsyth County lies within the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The county ...

Forsyth, Georgia Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Georgia, United States.Forsyth
Georgia.gov The populat ...

, and

Forsyth Park Forsyth Park (formerly known as the Military Parade Ground)''Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'', JSTOR (1929), p. 34 is a large city park that occupies in ...

in Savannah are named for him. He died the day before his 61st birthday.

In popular culture

*In the 1997

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

movie, '' Amistad'', Forsyth was played by character actor

David Paymer David Emmanuel Paymer (born August 30, 1954) is an American actor, comedian, and television director. He has been in films such as ''Mr. Saturday Night'', ''Quiz Show'', ''Searching for Bobby Fischer'', ''City Slickers'', ''Crazy People'', ''St ...

Notes

References

* *

External links

* *
Biography at Players in the Amistad Affair

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/nowiki> G[eorge/nowiki> M. Troup, [Governor of Georgia] / John Forsyth]
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/nowiki> 1827 Dec 12, Milledgeville, Georgia, [to Governor/nowiki> of Tennessee, Sam[ue]l Houston / John Forsyth, Gov[ernor of Georgia]]
[Letter
/nowiki> 1830 Jan 24, Georgetown, District of Columbia o/nowiki> George R. Gilmer, Governor of Georgia / John Forsyth] , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, John (Georgia) 1780 births 1841 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Spain Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Georgia (U.S. state) Attorneys General Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Jackson administration cabinet members Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia Princeton University alumni United States Secretaries of State Van Buren administration cabinet members Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American diplomats Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) American slave owners 19th-century American politicians La Amistad Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations United States senators who owned slaves