George W. Towns

George Washington Bonaparte Towns
George Washington Bonaparte Towns
39th Governor of Georgia
	In office; November 3, 1847 – November 5, 1851
Preceded by	George W. Crawford
Succeeded by	Howell Cobb
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district
	In office; March 4, 1835 – September 1, 1836
Preceded by	Augustin S. Clayton
Succeeded by	Julius C. Alford
	In office; March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1839
Preceded by	Julius C. Alford
Succeeded by	Thomas B. King
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 3rd congressional district
	In office; January 5, 1846 – March 4, 1847
Preceded by	Vacant (Initial Rep-Elect Washington Poe never took office)
Succeeded by	John W. Jones
Personal details
Born	May 4, 1801; Wilkes County, Georgia, U.S.
Died	July 15, 1854 (aged 53); Macon, Georgia, U.S.

George Washington Bonaparte Towns (May 4, 1801 – July 15, 1854) was a United States lawyer, legislator, and politician. He was a U.S. Representative, and the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851.

Biography

The George W. Towns House in Talbotton, Georgia was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1973.

Towns was born in Wilkes County, Georgia to Margaret George Hardwick and John Towns in 1801. His parents were Virginians who had moved to Georgia and settled in Wilkes County.

Shortly after his birth, the Towns family moved throughout Georgia, where he received a small preparatory education. He then began to study medicine in Eatonton, but after his studies were interrupted by an injury, he moved to Montgomery, Alabama, which had recently joined the Union. There, he studied law and, in 1824 was admitted to the Montgomery bar.

As time went by, Towns continued to gain prominence and in 1826 acquired the Alabama Journal newspaper. During that same year he married his first wife, Margaret Jane Campbell, whose poor health led to her death several days after the marriage ceremony. Following the death of his wife, Towns moved back to Georgia and settled in Talbot County.

Career

In 1828, Towns became one of the original town commissioners of Talbotton, where he also established a law office. During this period Towns served as colonel in the 65th Regiment of the Georgia Militia.

Towns began his 22-year-long political career in 1829 as a strong Unionist and opponent of nullification in the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate. He subsequently served as a U.S. Representative, and the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851.[1] On September 23, 1850, Towns asked the General Assembly to allow a special election to send delegates to a state convention to pass judgment on the Compromise of 1850.[2]

By the end of his time in politics, Towns had become a radical secessionist who believed the federal government was controlled by abolitionists bent on repressing the South.

Death and Legacy

Towns died in Macon, Georgia on July 15, 1854, and is interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in that town.

Towns County, Georgia is named in his honor.[3]

References

"Towns, George Washington Bonaparte, (1801 - 1854)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
Huston, James L. (December 2000). ""Southerners against secession: the arguments of the constitutional unionists in 1850-51". Civil War History. 46 (4): 284. doi:10.1353/cwh.2000.0007.
Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.

External links

United States Congress. "George W. Towns (id: T000327)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
George W. Towns at Find a Grave

Party political offices
Preceded by Matthew Hall McAllister	Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia 1847, 1849	Vacant Title next held by Herschel Vespasian Johnson
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Augustin Smith Clayton	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district March 4, 1835 – September 1, 1836	Succeeded by Julius Caesar Alford
Preceded by Julius Caesar Alford	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	Succeeded by Thomas Butler King
Preceded by At Large districts	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 3rd congressional district January 5, 1846 – March 3, 1847	Succeeded by John William Jones
Political offices
Preceded by George W. Crawford	Governor of Georgia 1847–1851	Succeeded by Howell Cobb

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[1] "Towns, George Washington Bonaparte, (1801 - 1854)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 4, 2012.

[2] Huston, James L. (December 2000). ""Southerners against secession: the arguments of the constitutional unionists in 1850-51". Civil War History. 46 (4): 284. doi:10.1353/cwh.2000.0007.

[3] Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.

Governors of Georgia
1777–present
Treutlen Houstoun Glascock Cuthbert Wereat Walton Howly Wells Heard Davies Brownson Martin Hall Houstoun Elbert Telfair Mathews Handley Walton Telfair Mathews Irwin Jackson Emanuel Tattnall Milledge Irwin Mitchell Early Mitchell Rabun Talbot Clark Troup Forsyth Gilmer Lumpkin Schley Gilmer McDonald Crawford Towns Cobb H. Johnson J. E. Brown J. Johnson Jenkins Ruger Bullock Conley J. Smith Colquitt Stephens Boynton McDaniel Gordon Northen Atkinson Candler Terrell H. Smith J. M. Brown H. Smith Slaton J. M. Brown Slaton N. Harris Dorsey Hardwick Walker Hardman Russell E. Talmadge Rivers E. Talmadge Arnall Thompson H. Talmadge Griffin Vandiver Sanders Maddox Carter Busbee J. Harris Miller Barnes Perdue Deal Kemp
Category

Chairmen of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1947)	Towns Petrikin Boardman Pratt Ficklin Faran Houston Bowdon Stanton Craige Ball Keitt Train Rice Covode Hopkins Beatty Halsey Platt Holman Cook Shallenberger Stockslager Dibble Milliken Bankhead Milliken Mercer Gillet Bartholdt Sheppard Clark Langley Elliott Lanham
Rivers and Harbors (1883–1947)	Willis Blanchard Henderson Blanchard Catchings Hooker Cooper Burton Alexander Sparkman Small Kennedy Dempsey Mansfield
Roads (1913–1947)	Shackleford Dunn Dowell Almon Cartwright Robinson
Flood Control (1916–1947)	Humphreys Rodenberg Schall Reid Wilson Whittington
Transportation and Infrastructure* (1947–)	Dondero Whittington Buckley Dondero Buckley Fallon Blatnik Jones Johnson Howard Anderson Roe Mineta E. Shuster Young Oberstar Mica W. Shuster DeFazio
Note	^Alternately named Public Works* in 80th through 93rd Congresses and Public Works and Transportation in 94th through 103rd Congresses.