John Forsyth (politician)

John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780 – October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician from Georgia. He represented the state in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also served as the 33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, Forsyth was appointed the 13th United States Secretary of State by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency of Martin Van Buren. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency of James Monroe.

John Forsyth
13th United States Secretary of State
In office July 1, 1834 – March 4, 1841
President	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	Louis McLane
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
United States Senator from Georgia
In office November 9, 1829 – June 27, 1834
Preceded by	John M. Berrien
Succeeded by	Alfred Cuthbert
In office November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819
Preceded by	George Troup
Succeeded by	Freeman Walker
33rd Governor of Georgia
In office November 7, 1827 – November 4, 1829
Preceded by	George Troup
Succeeded by	George Gilmer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1827 – November 7, 1827
Preceded by	Constituency reestablished
Succeeded by	Richard Henry Wilde
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large district
In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1827
Preceded by	Robert R. Reid
Succeeded by	Districts established
In office March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1818
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Robert R. Reid
5th United States Minister to Spain
In office May 18, 1819 – March 2, 1823
President	James Monroe
Preceded by	George W. Erving
Succeeded by	Hugh Nelson
12th Attorney General of Georgia
In office 1808–1811
Governor	Jared Irwin David Mitchell
Preceded by	John Hamil
Succeeded by	Alexander Allen
Personal details
Born	(1780-10-22)October 22, 1780 Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 21, 1841(1841-10-21) (aged 60) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1825) Democratic (1825–1841)
Education	College of New Jersey (BA) (renamed Princeton)
Signature

Early life

Forsyth was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His father, Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the first U.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794.^[1][2] He was an attorney who graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of Josiah Meigs, in 1801. One of his sons, John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.

Political life

Forsyth served in the United States House of Representatives (1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the United States Senate (1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the 33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the United States Secretary of State from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the Amistad case.^[3] He was a loyal follower of Andrew Jackson^[4] and opposed John C. Calhoun in the issue of nullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply to Theodore Frelinghuysen about the Indian Removal Act of 1830.^[5][6] He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.^[7]

Death and legacy

Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Forsyth County, Georgia,^[8] Forsyth, Georgia,^[9] and Forsyth Park^[10] in Savannah are named for him.^[11] He died the day before his 61st birthday.

In popular culture

• In the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie, Amistad, Forsyth was played by character actor David Paymer.^[12]