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David Meriwether (Georgia politician)

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David Meriwether
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's at-large district
In office
December 6, 1802 – March 3, 1807
Preceded byBenjamin Taliaferro
Succeeded byGeorge M. Troup
Speaker
Georgia House of Representatives
In office
1797–1800
Preceded byThomas Stevens
Succeeded byAbraham Jackson
Presidential Elector - Georgia
In office
1817–1821
Personal details
Born(1755-04-10)April 10, 1755
Charlottesville, Virginia Colony, British America
DiedNovember 16, 1822(1822-11-16) (aged 67)
Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyJeffersonian Democratic-Republican
ChildrenJames Meriwether
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceContinental Army
Georgia Militia 3rd Division
Years of service1776–1779 Continental Army
1797–1802 Georgia Militia
RankLieutenant
Brigadier General
Commands3rd Georgia Division
Battles/warsMonmouth
Trenton
Brandywine
Siege of Savannah

David Meriwether (April 10, 1755 – November 16, 1822) was a United States (U.S.) Congressional Representative from the state of Georgia. U.S. congressman James Meriwether was his son.

Early years

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David Meriwether was born at "Clover Fields" (home of the Meriwether family), near Charlottesville in the Virginia Colony, on April 10, 1755.[1] During his early years in Virginia, Meriwether developed a personal friendship with Thomas Jefferson who was a plantation neighbor of the family.[2] Some time later, Jefferson hired one of Meriwether's cousins, Meriwether Lewis as his personal secretary, before eventually commissioning the young Captain to undertake the exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase along with William Clark.[1]

Military service

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David Meriwether joined the Continental Army in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. He fought in the Battle of Trenton (1776), Battle of Brandywine (1777), and the Battle of Monmouth (1778). Upon joining troops from his native state of Virginia, he was commissioned a lieutenant in New Jersey on May 15, 1779. Shortly thereafter, the Virginia troops marched south, to participate in the Siege of Savannah. During the march from Virginia to the outskirts of Savannah, Meriwether's column passed through Wilkes County.[1] In his diary, he remarked that the countryside in that area of Georgia was particularly pleasing.[1] In the subsequent Siege of Savannah, Meriwether was captured by the British and was paroled shortly thereafter. Following his parole, Meriwether returned to Wilkes County, where he married Frances Wingfield. They eventually had seven sons and one daughter.[1] Meriwether continued to serve in the Army through the end of the war in 1783. In 1785, the couple settled in Wilkes County, where Meriwether had been granted land for his service in the Continental Army.[3] During this period, his occupation was that of "planter".[1] On September 21, 1797, Meriwether was commissioned a brigadier general in the Georgia militia by Governor Jared Irwin. In 1804, the family moved to Clarke County, near the city of Athens, where the General resided for the rest of his life.[1]

Political office

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Meriwether was the Wilkes County Tax Collector in the year 1794, before being elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he served as speaker from 1797 until 1800.[1][4] He was then elected as a Jeffersonian to the 7th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Benjamin Taliaferro and was reelected to the 8th and 9th Congresses. His time in federal office spanned from December 6, 1802, to March 3, 1807. He did not run for reelection in 1806 to the 10th Congress and retired to his plantation near Athens, Georgia. After his congressional service, Meriwether was appointed a commissioner to the Creek Indians in 1804 and repeatedly reappointed to treat with other tribes. Meriwether served as a Presidential Elector from Georgia in the election cycles of 1816 and 1820, voting for James Monroe.[1]

Death and legacy

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David Meriwether died near Athens, Georgia on November 16, 1822, and was buried in the private burial ground on his plantation.[1]

He is the namesake of Meriwether County, Georgia.[5][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j William J. Northen; John Temple Graves (1910). Men of Mark in Georgia: A Complete and Elaborate History of the State from Its Settlement to the Present Time, Chiefly Told in Biographies and Autobiographies of the Most Eminent Men of Each Period of Georgia's Progress and Development. A. B. Caldwell. pp. 57–62.
  2. ^ Coulter, E. Merton (1970). "David Meriwether of Virginia and Georgia". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 54 (3). The Georgia Historical Quarterly - Volume 54: 320–338. JSTOR 40579086.
  3. ^ Howard H. McCall; Ettie Tidwell McCall (July 2010). Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-8063-0219-5.
  4. ^ Georgia; Robert Watkins; George Watkins; Robert Aitken (1800). A Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia: From Its First Establishment as a British Province Down to the Year 1798, Inclusive, and the Principal Acts of 1799. R. Aitken. pp. 673–.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 206.
  6. ^ Elizabeth B. Cooksey (July 18, 2018). "Meriwether County". New Georgia Encyclopedia - University System of Georgia. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's at-large congressional district
December 6, 1802 – March 3, 1807 		Succeeded by


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