Stephen Upson (1785 – August 24, 1824) was an American

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, a ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

. Upson was born in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, and graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1804. He then studied law at the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...

. In 1807, Upson, moved to Hoover, Virginia, and later to

Lexington, Georgia The city of Lexington is the county seat of Oglethorpe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 239 at the 2000 census. Lexington is home to Shaking Rock Park. History Lexington was founded in 1800. That same year, the seat of Ogleth ...

, in order to study law under

William H. Crawford William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as US Secretary of War and US Secretary of the Treasury before he ran for US president in the 1824 ...

. In 1812, Upson married Hannah Cummins. He represented

Oglethorpe County, Georgia Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. The county seat is Lexington. Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metro ...

, in the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

beginning in 1820 and continued in that role until his death. Upson was also the head of the Georgia bar. Upson died in 1824 and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Lexington. On December 15, 1824, the

created Upson County and named it in his honor.

References

''Men of Mark in Georgia'', A. B. Caldwell, 1912, pp.406-408
1785 births 1824 deaths Politicians from Waterbury, Connecticut Yale College alumni Litchfield Law School alumni People from Lexington, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Upson County, Georgia 19th-century American lawyers {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub