Mordecai Myers (November 9, 1794 – February 21, 1865) was an American politician and landowner in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, in the 19th century.

Life and career

Named for his paternal grandfather, Myers was born in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

to physician Dr. Levi Myers and Frances Minis, who (along with thirteen other members of his family) drowned when the family home in Georgetown was swept off its blocks into the ocean during a hurricane on September 27, 1822. It is believed that Mordecai was the only survivor, and that he buried the victims. It is understood that Myers, like his father, graduated from

Princeton University 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 ...

in 1812. After graduating, Myers was taken by South Carolina governor

Lemuel J. Alston Lemuel James Alston (1760–1836) was a slave owner and U.S. Representative from South Carolina. Born in the eastern part of Granville County (which is now Warren County) in the Province of North Carolina, Alston moved to South Carolina after t ...

onto his staff as an Aide-de-Camp and private secretary with a colonel ranking. Between 1812 and 1814, Myers lived with Alston and his family. After being admitted to the South Carolina bar, Myers married Sarah Henrietta Cohen, daughter of Solomon Cohen Sr. and Bella Moses. They had twelve children, not all of whom survived to adulthood. Son Henry became a lieutenant-commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He was elected a member of the

Union Society Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

of Savannah in 1825. The society's role was in support of orphaned male children. Over the next few years, he was on the board of directors of the State Bank, was secretary of the Association of Friends of Ireland in Savannah, and in 1830 he was making announcements for the city council. In the 1830 census of Chatham County, Myers was listed as being a general officer, and also as having five males and two females in his household. In 1833, Myers had built today's 111 West Perry Street in Savannah's Orleans Square. Myers was elected to 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. ...

in 1837, and the following year he was elected unanimously as chairman to the board of health. In 1839, he was a founding member of the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

, along with his brother-in-law Solomon Cohen Jr. On 1845, Myers sold land in Savannah's Franklin Ward to Abram Minis. Minis built today's 20–22 Montgomery Street, in Franklin Square, the following year. In the 1850

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, Georgia, Mar ...

census, he is listed as being a farmer, owning .

Death

Myers died on February 21, 1865, aged 70. He is interred in Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery, alongside his wife, who survived him by 21 years. He had moved the remains of his parents from their burial plot in Georgetown to Laurel Grove in 1856.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Mordecai 1794 births 1865 deaths American Jews People from South Carolina People from Savannah, Georgia Princeton University alumni