James Meriwether (1789–1854) was a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and lawyer from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. His father was David Meriwether and his nephew was James Archibald Meriwether.

Early years and education

Meriwether was born near

Washington, Georgia Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Co ...

, Wilkes County in 1789. He attended the common schools, and graduated from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

( A.B.) degree in 1807 and was a tutor at the University for a year.

Career in law and military service

After studying law in

Elberton, Georgia Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,653 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County. Elberton is known as the "granite capital of the world". History Settled in the ...

and gaining admittance to the state

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, he practiced law for a short time and then focused on farming. From 1811 to 1813, he was judge of the inferior court of

Clarke County, Georgia Clarke County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,671. Its county seat is Athens, with which it is a consolidated city-county. Clarke County is included in the Athens ...

. In 1813, Meriwether fought in the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

under the command of General John Floyd. Meriwether served as a trustee of UGA from 1816 until 1831.

Political office

From 1821 to 1823, Meriwether served 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 (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

representing Clarke County.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

appointed Meriwether as a commissioner to negotiate with the Creek in 1823. In 1824, he was elected as a Jacksonian Representative to the

19th United States Congress The 19th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1825, ...

and served one term from March 4, 1825 until March 3, 1827, as he did not seek reelection in 1826.

Later years

James Meriwether returned to his farming and died while on a trip near

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, in 1854. He was buried at his family plantation in Clarke County.

References

External links

*
''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, c. 1949, pp. 135, 138
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meriwether, James 1789 births 1854 deaths People from Wilkes County, Georgia Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia alumni People of the Creek War Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly