John Houstoun

For the member of the Parliament of Scotland, seeSir John Houstoun, 2nd Baronet.

John Houstoun
10thGovernor of Georgia
In office January 10, 1778 – January 7, 1779
Preceded by	John A. Treutlen
Succeeded by	William Glascock
In office January 9, 1784 – January 6, 1785
Preceded by	Lyman Hall
Succeeded by	Samuel Elbert
Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office 1783
1stMayor of Savannah, Georgia
In office 1790–1791
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Thomas Gibbons
Personal details
Born	(1744-08-31)August 31, 1744 St. George's Parish, Georgia (modern-dayWaynesboro,Georgia)
Died	July 20, 1796(1796-07-20)(aged 51) Savannah,Georgia,U.S.
Spouse	Hannah Bryan

John Houstoun(/ˈhoʊstən/HOU-stən;August 31, 1744 – July 20, 1796) was an American lawyer and statesman fromSavannah,Georgia.He was one of the originalSons of Libertyand also a delegate for Georgia in theSecond Continental Congressin 1775. He was theGovernor of Georgia,in 1778, and again in 1784–1785.

Personal life

John was born to aristocraticScotsimmigrants in St. George's Parish, near modernWaynesboroand the eastern border of Georgia. His parents were Sir Patrick (Baronet) and Priscilla (Dunbar) Houstoun. His father served as the registrar of land grants for theGeorgia Colonyand the collector ofquit-rents(a permanent annual tax on each grant). John was educated in Savannah andread lawthere. He was admitted to the bar and started a law practice in Savannah.

Houstoun married Hannah Bryan, whose father Jonathan was a wealthy Savannah merchant. They built their home,White Bluff,about nine miles (14 km) northwest of Savannah. The couple had no children.

Revolutionary years

Houstoun was a successful lawyer, and was appointed to theGovernor's CouncilbyJames Wright.But in 1774, Houstoun was one of the founders of the nascent revolutionary government in Georgia. He joined withArchibald Bullochand others to form aCommittee of Correspondencein support of the residents ofBostonsuffering the effects of theBoston Port Act.The committee went on to create formal protests against other measures brought about by theIntolerable Acts.

That same year, John was a representative in the rebelProvincial Congressof Georgia, and they named him as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. He declined, since fewer than half the counties were represented in the Provincial Congress. By 1775 this defect was remedied and he accepted that appointment. In Congress, he was a strong supporter of the movement toward independence, but resisted the non-importation agreements because of their negative effects on the southern colonies.

He was reappointed to the national congress in 1776, but did not attend. He stayed at home to work with theCommittee of Safetyto thwart the loyalist efforts of the popular preacher and loyalist,John Zubly.Early in 1778, he was elected as the second revolutionary Governor of Georgia also being the first governor of Georgia to be born in Georgia. That same year, he took charge of theGeorgia militiain an abortive attempt to seize the British post ofSt. Augustine,Florida.His disagreements with theContinental Armycommander,Robert Howe,contributed greatly to the failure of the expedition. When the British, in response, captured Savannah on December 29, Houstoun was forced into hiding.

Creek Indiansraided plantations and carried slaves off from within a few miles of Savannah. The "daily depredations" of these raiding groups, Governor Houstoun wrote, "almost at our very Town-Gates, threaten us with certain ruin unless some remedy is applied."

Houstoun lived in the Houstoun–Johnson–Screven House, at 32Abercorn Street,which was built around 1784. The home was demolished in 1920 to make way for theLucas Theatre.

Later career

After the surrender atYorktown,the British abandoned Savannah in 1782. Houstoun returned home, taking a seat in theGeorgia House of Representatives,where he briefly served as Speaker in 1783. He then was elected to another one-year term as governor in 1784.

Houstoun pushed for more access to the Indian Country. "Formerly when the people of Pensacola and Mobile were one and the same with Us, we did not carry on trade with you from this Country, and then there was no Occasion to ask a Path thro’ the Creek Nation."Since the Spanish controlled Florida, he wanted more east-west trade routes. The Creeks declined to grant the Choctaws access to the Georgia traders.

On September 28, 1784 Governor John Houstoun granted four 5000 acre tracts of vacant land inFranklin county, GeorgiatoFrench Vice Admiral d'Estaingand his heirs. The four bountyland grants totaling 20,000 acres were subsequently registered on June 13, 1785.

In 1790 he became the first elected Mayor of Savannah, and in 1791 was appointed a justice of the Superior Court of Georgia. After 1792 he served as president of the Chatham Academy.

Legacy

Houstoun died at his home,White Bluff,just outside Savannah on July 20, 1796.Houston Countyin central Georgia was named for him. The variation in spelling is typical of early nineteenth century orthography.

See also

• List of speakers of the Georgia House of Representatives

Further reading

• Edith Duncan Johnston;"The Houstouns of Georgia";1950, University of Georgia Press

External links

• United States Congress."John Houstoun (id: H000831)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Timeline of John Houstoun's life
• "To Benjamin Franklin from John Houstoun, 17 March 1778,"Founders Online, National Archives.
• Governor John Houstonhistorical marker