Thomas Usher Pulaski Charlton (November 1779 – December 21, 1835) was an American writer and public servant in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, United States. He was the city's mayor for two terms. He was the second in a line of six Thomas Charltons, five of whom were physicians.
Savannah's
Charlton Street is named in his honor.
Life and career
Charlton was born in November 1779 in
Camden, South Carolina, to Thomas Charlton Sr. and Lucy Kenan.
He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1800, and by the age of 21 he was a member of the
Georgia State Legislature.
Charlton became judge of the Eastern Circuit in 1808.
In 1809, Charlton's book, ''The Life of Major General
James Jackson'', was published. He was a close friend of both Jackson and governor
John Milledge
John Milledge (1757February 9, 1818) was an American politician. He fought in the American Revolution and later served as United States Representative, 26th Governor of Georgia, and United States Senator. Milledge was a founder of Athens, Georgi ...
.
He was mayor of Savannah, Georgia, between 1815 and 1817, then 1819 to 1821.
Charlton was married three times. His first two wives, Emily Walter (married 1803) and Ellen Glasco, each died at young ages. His third wife, Clementine, whom he married when she was 22, survived him by forty years. Emily's father, who died when Charlton was around ten, was botanist
Thomas Walter.
Charlton's son,
Robert M. Charlton, became a
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
. His other son, Thomas Jackson Charlton, preceded him in death by two months, aged 29.
Death
Charlton died on December 21, 1835, aged 56. He was initially interred in Savannah's
Colonial Park Cemetery, but his remains were moved in 1853, when the cemetery closed, to
Laurel Grove Cemetery.
Charlton Street in Savannah is named in his honor.
See also
*
List of mayors of Savannah, Georgia
The mayor is the highest elected official in Savannah, Georgia. Since its incorporation in 1789, the city has had 67 mayors. On May 27, 1958, the term for mayor was extended from two years to four years by popular vote and with approval of the st ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Thomas U. P.
1779 births
1835 deaths
People from Camden, South Carolina
Mayors of Savannah, Georgia
Politicians from Savannah, Georgia
Burials at Laurel Grove Cemetery