James Meriwether (1789–1854) was a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and lawyer from

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 ...

. His father was David Meriwether and his nephew was

James Archibald Meriwether James Archibald Meriwether (September 20, 1806 – April 18, 1852) was a United States Representative, jurist and lawyer from Georgia. His uncle was U.S. Representative James Meriwether. Early years and education Meriwether was born near Washingt ...

Early years and education

Meriwether was born near

Washington, Georgia Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name Heard's Fort, it was briefly designated as the state capital during the American Revolutionary War. It is noted as the place where the Confederacy ...

, Wilkes County in 1789. He attended the common schools, and graduated from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

) degree in 1807 and was a tutor at the University for a year.

Career in law and military service

After studying law in Elberton, Georgia and gaining admittance to the state

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, he practiced law for a short time and then focused on farming. From 1811 to 1813, he was judge of the inferior court of Clarke County, Georgia. In 1813, Meriwether fought in the

Creek War The Creek War (1813–1814), also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, was a regional war between opposing Indigenous American Creek factions, European empires and the United States, taking place largely in modern-day Alabama ...

under the command of General John Floyd. Meriwether served as a trustee of UGA from 1816 until 1831.

Political office

From 1821 to 1823, Meriwether served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

representing

Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia * Clarke County, New South Wales, in Aust ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

James Monroe appointed Meriwether as a commissioner to negotiate with the

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

in 1823. In 1824, he was elected as a Jacksonian Representative to the

19th United States Congress The 19th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1825, ...

and served one term from March 4, 1825 until March 3, 1827, as he did not seek reelection in 1826.

Later years

James Meriwether returned to his farming and died while on a trip near

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, in 1854. He was buried at his family plantation in Clarke County.

References

External links

*
''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, c. 1949, pp. 135, 138
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meriwether, James 1789 births 1854 deaths People from Wilkes County, Georgia American people of English descent Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the Georgia House of Representatives American slave owners Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia alumni People of the Creek War