Overview
George Walton was a lawyer, politician, and soldier from Virginia who immigrated to Georgia, where he became a key figure in the Patriot Cause. He served in the Continental Congress, where he voted for independence and signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. He fought British forces at the Siege of Savannah (1779), where he was wounded and captured. Later, Walton served two terms as Governor of Georgia, served as Georgia’s Chief Justice, and served as a United States Senator.
Personal Facts
- Born: Likely sometime in 1749, near Farmville, Virginia.
- Parents: Robert Walton (father) and Mary Hughes (mother).
- Spouse: Dorothy Camber (1775).
- Died: February 2, 1804, at Augusta, Georgia. Estimated to be 54–55 years old.
- Buried: Courthouse Grounds, Augusta, Georgia.
- Part of: Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Biography
Early Life
George Walton is believed to have been born in 1749, near Farmville in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Both of his parents died when he was young, and he grew up in his uncle’s home.
Walton trained as a carpenter, but his master, impressed by his talent and ambition, allowed him to keep part of his wages and freed him from his apprenticeship so he could attend a local school. Largely self-taught, Walton moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1769, studied law, and entered the bar on January 1, 1774.
American Revolution
In Savannah, Walton became a prominent leader of the Patriot Cause and was associated with Lyman Hall. He helped organize meetings and committees and was a member of the Georgia Committee of Correspondence. He helped condemn British policies and worked to align Georgia with the growing Patriot Cause in the American Colonies.
In 1775, Walton helped organize the Georgia Provincial Congress in Savannah and was elected its Secretary. He also served on committees and was elected as the president of the Council of Safety.
That same year, Walton married Dorothy Camber, the daughter of a loyal British subject. Despite her father’s support for the Crown, she supported the Patriot Cause.
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
On February 2, 1776, the Georgia Provincial Congress elected him to serve as a delegate to the Continental Congress. A strong supporter of independence, he signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, along with Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall.
AHC Notes
- Button Gwinnett (c. 1735–1777) — Gwinnett was a Georgia merchant, planter, and politician who rose to prominence during the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was mortally wounded in a duel in 1777.
- Lyman Hall (1724–1790) — Hall was a New England–born physician and political leader who became a key figure in Georgia’s shift toward supporting independence during the American Revolutionary War. After guiding St. John’s Parish to elect him as its delegate, he joined the Continental Congress in 1775 and later signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as Governor of Georgia in 1783 and promoted the creation of the University of Georgia, one of the nation’s first state-supported universities, through a major land grant.
Work in Congress
Except for 1778, when other duties kept him away, and 1779, when he served as Governor of Georgia, he served in Congress until September 27, 1781. He worked on key committees dealing with Western Lands, the Treasury Board, Indian Affairs, and Federal Affairs.
- In December 1776, as George Washington was retreating across New Jersey. Congress fled to Baltimore. Walton, Robert Morris, and George Clymer remained in Philadelphia to conduct critical business.
- In January 1777, Walton and George Taylor represented the government at Easton, Pennsylvania, and negotiated a peace treaty with the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations).
- During the debate over the Articles of Confederation, Walton argued that Congress should have complete control over trade with the Indians.
- He supported equal voting rights for the states.
Defense of the South
Walton received a commission as Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Georgia Militia on January 9, 1778, and fought in the Capture of Savannah (1778). He suffered a broken leg from a shot, fell from his horse, and was captured by British forces. He was returned in a prisoner exchange in September 1779.
Governor of Georgia
British forces overran Georgia in 1779, and the political divide among leaders led to the election of two governors. One group chose John Wereat, but the stronger faction elected Walton, who served from November 1779 to January 1780.
In 1780, his political opponents prohibited Walton from holding any office in Georgia. His allies countered by naming him the Commissioner of Augusta. It also authorized him to plan the new city of Washington, Georgia.
Return to Congress
Walton returned to the Continental Congress in 1780 and opposed any peace agreement based on the principle of “uti possidetis,” which would allow each side to keep the territory it held at the end of the war.
- Walton left Congress when his term ended in 1781.
- He remained in Philadelphia with his family until early 1782.
Post-War Public Service
- Walton served as Chief Justice of Georgia for six years.
- In 1786, he sat on a commission that marked the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina.
- Walton was appointed as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention (1787) but did not attend because of his judicial duties.
- He attended the Georgia Constitutional Convention in 1788.
- Walson served as a presidential elector in 1789.
- He won a second term as Governor in 1789. His administration oversaw the adoption of a new constitution, the selection of Augusta as the state capital, the handling of frontier troubles, and efforts to make peace with the Creek Indians.
Walton retired to his estate, “Meadow Garden,” in 1790, and then accepted a position as a judge on the Superior Court of Georgia. He served on this court from:
- 1790 to 1792.
- 1793 to 1795.
- 1799 until his death.
In 1795, he served in the United States Senate to complete the term of James Jackson. His service there was quiet, but connected him with the Federalist Party.
- Jackson returned to Georgia to overturn the Yazoo Land Act, which was part of a complex land fraud scheme known as the Yazoo Land Scandal.
- Walton was a supporter of the Yazoo Land Act.
AHC Notes
- Yazoo Land Scandal (1794–1814) — A scheme perpetrated by investors and members of the Georgia legislature in 1795 is considered the most significant land fraud committed during the Federalist Era and one of the most sensational events of the time. It also led to the landmark Supreme Court case Fletcher v. Peck (1810).
Later Years
Walton helped found Richmond Academy, served as a trustee, and sat on the committee that selected the site for Franklin College.
As a trustee of the University of Georgia, he developed plans to strengthen higher education in the state.
In 1795, he built a new home called “College Hill,” where he later died. His wife and one of their two sons survived him.
First buried in the Rosney Cemetery, his remains were moved on July 4, 1848, to the monument in Augusta honoring Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence.
