John Forsyth (Georgia)

John Forsyth
13th United States Secretary of State
In office July 1, 1834 – March 3, 1841
President	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	Louis McLane
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
33rd Governor of Georgia
In office November 7, 1827 – November 4, 1829
Preceded by	George M. Troup
Succeeded by	George R. Gilmer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large district
In office March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1818
Preceded by	New appointment
Succeeded by	Robert R. Reid
In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1827
Preceded by	Robert R. Reid
Succeeded by	converted to districts
United States Senator from Georgia
In office November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819
Preceded by	George Troup
Succeeded by	Freeman Walker
In office November 9, 1829 – June 27, 1834
Preceded by	John M. Berrien
Succeeded by	Alfred Cuthbert
Personal details
Born	(1780-10-22)October 22, 1780 Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Died	Washington D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Clara Meigs Forsyth
Alma mater	College of New Jersey
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

John Forsyth, Sr. (October 22, 1780 – October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician from Georgia.

Biography

Forsyth was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His father Robert Forsyth was the first U.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794. He was an attorney who graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of Josiah Meigs, in 1801 or 1802. One of his sons, John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor. He served in the United States House of Representatives (1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the United States Senate (1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the 33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the United States Secretary of State from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the Amistad case. He was a loyal follower of Andrew Jackson and opposed John C. Calhoun in the issue of nullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. Led the pro-removal reply to Theodore Frelinghuysen about the Indian Removal Act of 1830. He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself. He died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Forsyth County, Georgia is named for him. He died the day before his 61st birthday.

In popular culture

• In the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie, Amistad, John Forsyth's character was played by American character actor David Paymer.

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• John Forsyth at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• John Forsyth at Find a Grave
• Biography at Players in the Amistad Affair

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by New seat from congressional apportionment	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1818	Succeeded by Robert R. Reid
Preceded by Robert R. Reid	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1827	Succeeded by Converted to districts
Preceded by Redistricted from At Large District	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1827 – November 7, 1827	Succeeded by Richard Henry Wilde
United States Senate
Preceded by George Troup	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819 Served alongside: Charles Tait	Succeeded by Freeman Walker
Preceded by John M. Berrien	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia November 9, 1829 – June 27, 1834 Served alongside: George Troup and John P. King	Succeeded by Alfred Cuthbert
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by George W. Erving	United States Minister to Spain May 18, 1819 – March 2, 1823	Succeeded by Hugh Nelson
Political offices
Preceded by George Troup	Governor of Georgia 1827–1829	Succeeded by George R. Gilmer
Preceded by Louis McLane	U.S. Secretary of State Served under: Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren July 1, 1834 – March 3, 1841	Succeeded by Daniel Webster