James Jackson (Georgia politician)

For other people named James Jackson, see James Jackson (disambiguation).

James Jackson
File:JamesJackson.jpg
United States Senator from Georgia
In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795 March 4, 1801 – March 19, 1806
Preceded by	William Few James Gunn
Succeeded by	George Walton John Milledge
23rd Governor of Georgia
In office January 12, 1798 – March 3, 1801
Preceded by	Jared Irwin
Succeeded by	David Emanuel
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 1st district
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791
Preceded by	district created
Succeeded by	Anthony Wayne
Personal details
Born	September 21, 1757 Devon, England
Died	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Anti-Administration Democratic-Republican
Military service
Service/branch	Georgia Militia
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War

James Jackson (September 21, 1757 – March 19, 1806) was an early Georgia politician of the Democratic-Republican Party. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 until 1791. He was also a U.S. Senator from Georgia from 1793 to 1795, and from 1801 until his death. In 1797 he was elected 23rd Governor of Georgia, serving from 1798 to 1801.

Early life

Jackson was born in Moretonhampstead, Devonshire, England. He immigrated at age 15 with his family to Savannah, Georgia in 1772. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the Georgia Militia at the defense of Savannah, the Battle of Cowpens, and the recapture of Augusta and Savannah. As a young man, Jackson became well known as a duelist with a fiery temper.

Career

After the war, he built up his law practice in Savannah. Jackson was elected to the first Georgia state legislature. In 1788, Jackson was elected governor of Georgia, but declined the position, citing his inexperience.

In 1789, Jackson was elected to the First United States Congress. As a Jeffersonian Republican, he vigorously opposed Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton's financial plans for federal assumption of the states' debts from the Revolutionary War. He was also strongly opposed to efforts to curtail slavery. In the election of 1791, he was defeated for re-election to his seat by Anthony Wayne. Jackson was convinced that Wayne had not won his seat fairly, so he mounted a campaign against Wayne and his supporters, finally succeeding in removing Wayne from Congress.

Senator and Governor

Jackson was elected to the first U.S. Senate in 1793. He became an early articulate opponent of Federalist Alexander Hamilton's financial plan and, thus, one of the first Jeffersonians. Defeated for reelection in 1791 by his former Revolutionary commander, Anthony Wayne (for whom Wayne County is named), in a campaign rife with charges of voting irregularities on the part of Wayne's supporters, Jackson contested the outcome. Making effective use of grand jury presentments and newspapers, Jackson secured a seat in the legislature and subsequently oversaw the ouster of Wayne's campaign manager from his state judgeship. Jackson then took his struggle for vindication to Congress, where, although he convinced the House that Wayne had not won fairly, he failed to regain his seat after the tie-breaking vote of the Federalist Speaker.

Meanwhile, the state of Georgia sold millions of acres of its western lands, called the Yazoo region, at extremely low prices to a group of investors. Jackson, believing that the sale was influenced by bribery of state legislatures, resigned his post in the Senate to run for a seat in the Georgia legislature in 1795. He won the election and began to lead a campaign to repeal the Yazoo land sale. In 1798, he won the election for governor of Georgia and proceeded to implement the legislation repealing the Yazoo land sale. Jackson placed blame for the Yazoo land fraud on his political enemies, the Federalists. He built the Georgia Democratic-Republican party and led it to statewide dominance.

Jackson was re-elected to the Senate in 1801 and served until his death in 1806. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Washington, DC.

Legacy

Jackson was the patriarch of a political dynasty in Georgia. His son, Jabez Young Jackson, was elected Representative from Georgia in the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth United States Congress. James Jackson's grandson, also named James Jackson, was a U.S. Representative from Georgia, a judge advocate on the staff of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and a trustee of the University of Georgia.

James Jackson is the namesake of Jackson County, Georgia and James Jackson Parkway Northwest in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

• Jackson, James. Documents. E. Merton Coulter manuscript collection II. MS 2345. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries. From America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia. Web. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
• Jackson, James. Papers of James Jackson, 1781-1798. From Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, Georgia Historical Society, 1955, Georgia Historical Society. Web. Retrieved 21 May 2016.

External links

• James Jackson at Find a Grave

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by New seat	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 1st congressional district March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	Succeeded by Anthony Wayne
United States Senate
Preceded by William Few	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1793–1795 Served alongside: James Gunn	Succeeded by George Walton
Preceded by James Gunn	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia 1801–1806 Served alongside: Abraham Baldwin	Succeeded by John Milledge
Political offices
Preceded by Jared Irwin	Governor of Georgia 1798–1801	Succeeded by David Emanuel