George Washington Bonaparte Towns (May 4, 1801 – July 15, 1854) was a United States lawyer, legislator, and politician. He 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

on three occasions and was the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851.

Early life and education

Towns was born in

Wilkes County, Georgia Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,593. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and c ...

to Margaret George Hardwick and John Towns in 1801. His parents were Virginians who had moved to Georgia and settled in Wilkes County. Shortly after his birth, the Towns family moved throughout Georgia, where he received a small preparatory education. He then began to study medicine in Eatonton, but after his studies were interrupted by an injury, he moved to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, which had recently joined the Union. There, he studied law and, in 1824 was admitted to the Montgomery bar.

Early career

As time went by, Towns continued to gain prominence and in 1826 acquired the ''Alabama Journal'' newspaper. During that same year he married his first wife, Margaret Jane Campbell, whose poor health led to her death several days after the marriage ceremony. Following the death of his wife, Towns moved back to Georgia and settled in Talbot County. In 1828, Towns became one of the original town commissioners of Talbotton, where he also established a law office. During this period Towns served as colonel in the 65th Regiment of the Georgia Militia.

Political career

Towns began his 22-year political career in 1829 as a strong Unionist and opponent 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 ...

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. ...

and

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 ...

. He was subsequently elected to the

on three occasions. He served a partial term in the House from 1835 to 1836 and a full term from 1837 to 1839. He served a third term from 1846 to 1847. He served as the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851. On September 23, 1850, Towns asked the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

to allow a special election to send delegates to a state convention to pass judgment on the

Compromise of 1850 The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired in the Mexican–Am ...

. Towns’ wife, Mary Winston Jones Towns, was the daughter of

John Winston Jones John Winston Jones (November 22, 1791 – January 29, 1848) was an American politician and lawyer. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1845. He served as Speaker of the House in both the U.S. House of ...

, who served as

Speaker of the U.S. House The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

from 1843 to 1845. Towns and Jones served concurrently in the House for a time.

Death and legacy

Towns died in Macon, Georgia on July 15, 1854, and is interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in that town.

Towns County, Georgia Towns County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,493. Its county seat is Hiawassee. The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for United States lawyer, ...

is named in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Towns, George W. Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama 1801 births 1854 deaths People from Wilkes County, Georgia People from Talbotton, Georgia Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) American slave owners 19th-century American politicians