John Walton (1738–1783), a
Founding Father of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the war for independence from Great Britai ...
, was a
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
delegate to the
Continental Congress. Though born in
Virginia, Walton later became a planter near
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
. He was elected as a delegate from St. Paul Parish to the Provincial Congress at
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
in 1775, and then elected to the Continental Congress in 1778. He signed the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
on behalf of Georgia on July 24, 1778. He held the office of surveyor of
Richmond County for several years before his death in
New Savannah, Georgia
The dead town of New Savannah began ''circa'' 1740 as a Chickasaw village on the Savannah River, at the mouth of Butler Creek below Augusta, Georgia, Augusta. Stories as to the circumstances vary, but in any case some portion of the Horse Creek ...
in 1783.
Walton's brother was
George Walton, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence for Georgia and one of the first governors of Georgia.
References
1738 births
1783 deaths
Continental Congressmen from Georgia (U.S. state)
18th-century American politicians
Signers of the Articles of Confederation
Farmers from Georgia (U.S. state)
American Presbyterians
American planters
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