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Joseph Habersham (July 28, 1751 – November 17, 1815) 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 ...
businessman,
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, soldier in the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
, and
Postmaster General of the United States
The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency.
The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
.
Early years
Born in
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 ...
, to
James Habersham
James Habersham (26 January 1712 – 28 August 1775) was an English-born American merchant, planter, missionary, teacher and politician who lived the majority of his life in the Province of Georgia. Habersham is credited with opening the first di ...
and Mary Bolton, he attended preparatory schools and
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 ni ...
and became successful merchant and planter. He was married to Isabella Rae, who was the sister-in-law of
Col. Samuel Elbert. They had one son, Robert Habersham.
American Revolution
He was a member of the
council of safety
In the American Revolution, committees of correspondence, committees of inspection (also known as committees of observation), and committees of safety were different local committees of Patriots that became a shadow government; they took control ...
and the
Georgia Provincial Council in 1775 and a major of a battalion of Georgia
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
men and subsequently a colonel in the
1st Georgia Regiment of the Continental Army. He had to resign from the army after he served as
Lachlan McIntosh
Lachlan McIntosh (March 17, 1725 – February 20, 1806) was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaratio ...
's second in the controversial duel that killed
Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett (March 3, 1735 – May 19, 1777) was a British-born American Founding Father who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was one of the signers (first signature on the left) of the United States Declaration o ...
.
Political career
He and his brothers,
James Jr. and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
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* Secon ...
, were active in Georgia politics. Some older references state that Joseph was a delegate to the
Confederation Congress
The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Marc ...
in 1785, but this may stem from confusion with his brother John, who was a delegate at that time. Joseph served as
Speaker of the Georgia House in 1782 and again in 1785 and was a member of the Georgia convention in 1788 that ratified the
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
.
He served as mayor of Savannah from 1792 to 1793 and then was appointed Postmaster General by
President
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*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
in 1795 and served until the beginning of
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
's administration in 1801. When Habersham created the office of first assistant postmaster-general in 1799,
Abraham Bradley Jr. was appointed to the office. In 1802, Bradley named one of his sons,
Joseph Habersham Bradley (later a notable
Washington, D.C.
)
, 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 Morgan, ...
attorney), after his former superior.
Death and legacy
Habersham died in 1815. He is buried in Savannah's
Colonial Park Cemetery
Colonial Park Cemetery (locally and informally, Colonial Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. It became a city park in 1896,[Habersham County
Habersham County is a County (United States), county located in the Northeast Georgia, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 43,041. The county s ...]
in Northeast Georgia, from its creation in 1818, is named in his honor.
Joseph Habersham was also a Savannah Freemason. He is recorded as a masonic member of
Solomon's Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M. at Savannah, Georgia. Solomon's Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M. at Savannah was founded by renowned statesman, philanthropist and Freemason James Edward Oglethorpe on February 21, 1734. Joseph Habersham's father James Habersham, both of his brothers, and his noted descendant, the Savannah Painter, Richard West Habersham (the intimate friend of Samuel F. B. Morse inventor of the telegraph) were all Freemasons and members of Solomon's Lodge.
The Joseph Habersham Chapter of the
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, located 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 498,715 ...
, is named in Habersham's honor, as is their headquarters,
Habersham Memorial Hall
Habersham Memorial Hall is a historic building in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building, named in honor of Joseph Habersham, was designed by Henry Hornbostel to serve as the headquarters for the local chapter of the Daughters of the Am ...
.
See also
*
List of speakers of the Georgia House of Representatives List of speakers
See also
* List of minority leaders of the Georgia House of Representatives
* List of minority leaders of the Georgia State Senate
This is a list of minority leaders of the Georgia State Senate:
{{Current Georgia statewide ...
References
External links
New Georgia Encyclopedia: The Habersham Family*
Summer Home of Joseph Habershamhistorical marker
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habersham, Joseph
1751 births
1815 deaths
American planters
Continental Army officers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Mayors of Savannah, Georgia
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives
United States Postmasters General
Speakers of the Georgia House of Representatives
American slave owners