Matthew Talbot (1767September 17, 1827) 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 ...

. He was the 30th Governor of Georgia.

Biography

Talbot was born in Bedford County in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

and moved to

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 ...

after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Talbot served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Georgia Militia. He was descended from one of the oldest Norman families in England. He was a grandson of Matthew Talbot, who was the third son of the tenth Earl of Shrewsbury. That Matthew Talbot was born in England in 1699. In 1722 he came on a visit to Maryland with his cousin Edward, a son Earl Talbot, to visit relatives who had settled there and for whom Talbot County in that State was named. He later moved to Maryland, and from there to Virginia where he had four sons. After the death of his wife, he moved to Bedford County, Virginia. From 1790 to 1791, Talbot served as superior court clerk in Elbert County. He represented Wilkes county as its

representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

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 ...

. Talbot eventually moved to

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 ...

and was elected its delegate to the state Constitutional Convention in 1795 and 1798. In 1808, he was elected to the

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 ...

and served in that capacity for fifteen years. From 1818 to 1823, he was the president of the Senate. While Talbot was serving as that president of the Senate in 1819, governor

William Rabun William Rabun (April 8, 1771 – October 24, 1819) was an American politician. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate in addition to serving as the 29th Governor of Georgia from 1817 to 1819. Early life Rabu ...

died in office, and Talbot served as the 30th Governor for two weeks.

Death and legacy

He died near

Washington, Georgia Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name Heard's Fort, it was briefly designated as the state capital during the American Revolutionary War. It is noted as the place where the Confederacy ...

and is interred in the Smyrna United Methodist Church Cemetery in Washington.

Talbot County, Georgia Talbot County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2020 census showed a population of 5,733. The county seat and largest city is Talbotton. History Talbot County was created from a portion of Musco ...

and

Talbotton, Georgia Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County. History Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the ...

are named in his honor.

References

External links

* * William J. Northen,
Men of Mark in Georgia
', A. B. Caldwell, 1912, pp. 273–275.
''Georgia Governor's Gravesites Field Guide (1776-2003)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Matthew 1767 births 1827 deaths People from Bedford County, Virginia People from Wilkes County, Georgia Governors of Georgia (U.S. state) American people of English descent Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Talbot County, Georgia Date of birth unknown Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States People from Oglethorpe County, Georgia