John M. Berrien
John Macpherson Berrien | |
---|---|
Georgia Senate from Chatham County | |
In office 1822–1823 | |
Preceded by | Edward Harden |
Succeeded by | William Davies |
Personal details | |
Born | John Macpherson Berrien August 23, 1781 |
Other political affiliations | Southern Rights |
Spouse(s) | Eliza Richardson Anciaux Eliza Cecil Hunter |
Education | Princeton University (BA) |
John Macpherson Berrien (August 23, 1781 – January 1, 1856) was a
Early life and education
Berrien was born on August 23, 1781, at Rockingham, his parents' home in Rocky Hill, New Jersey. His father was Major John Berrien, son of Judge John Berrien, and his mother was Margaret Macpherson.[1] The next year his parents moved with him to Savannah, Georgia, in 1782. His mother died three years later.[2]
Berrien graduated from
He returned to Savannah, where he was elected solicitor of the eastern judicial circuit of Georgia in 1809. He was elected as judge of the same circuit in 1810, serving until January 30, 1821, when he resigned. He served as captain of the Georgia Hussars, a Savannah volunteer company, in the War of 1812.
Political career
A leader among Georgia's
On March 9, 1829, he resigned from the Senate to accept the position of Attorney General in the Cabinet of President Andrew Jackson. His first assignment was to prosecute former
After leaving the Cabinet he resumed the practice of law until he was again elected, as a
Berrien's views on sectional issues hardened during his tenure in the Senate and he became aligned with the short-lived Southern Rights Party formed to oppose the Compromise of 1850 and the Wilmot Proviso.
During the 1820s, Berrien was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, which counted among its members presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.[8]
He served as the chairman of the
Berrien was a slaveholder,[9] and owned 90 according to the 1830 U.S. census.[10] In 1840, he owned eight slaves at his house in Savannah, Georgia,[11] and an additional 140 slaves in surrounding Chatham County.[12] In 1850, he owned 143 slaves.[13]
Death and legacy
Berrien died at his home, now known as the John Berrien House (named for his father),[2] in Savannah on January 1, 1856. He is interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery. Berrien County, Georgia, and Berrien County, Michigan (one of Michigan's Cabinet Counties, organized during his term as attorney general), are named after him.[14]
Berrien was one of the Georgia Historical Society's founders in 1839 and served as the organization's first president. The Georgia Historical Society holds a substantial collection of Berrien papers (including important material relating to the Petticoat affair). The Society also annually presents the John Macpherson Berrien Award, a lifetime achievement award recognizing outstanding contributions to Georgia history.
References
- ^ Honeyman, A. Van Doren, ed. (1920). "Hon. John Macpherson Berrien". Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society. Vol. 5. pp. 106–8.
- ^ a b "Berrien House Trust | Family History: Major John Berrien". berrienhouse.org. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Ruffin, Charles L. (2013). "Georgia Legal Legend: U.S. Attorney General John Berrien". Georgia Bar Journal. 19 (1): 4. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- S2CID 14398369.
- ^ Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction; by Allen C. Guelzo, May 18, 2012, kindle location 935
- JSTOR 3122853.
- .
- ^ William Dawson Johnson (1904). History of the Library of Congress: Volume I, 1800–1864, Volume 1. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 27, 2022, retrieved January 31, 2022
- ^ 1830 United States Census, United States census, 1830; Cherokee Hill District, Chatham, Georgia;. Retrieved on March 6, 2016.
- ^ 1840 United States Census, United States census, 1840; Savannah, Georgia;. Retrieved on March 6, 2016.
- ^ 1840 United States Census, United States census, 1840; District 8, Chatham, Georgia;. Retrieved on March 6, 2016.
- ^ "1850 United States Census, Slave Schedules", United States census, 1850; District 13, Chatham, Georgia;.
- ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
External links
- John Macpherson Berrien Papers in the Digital Library of Georgia
- John Macpherson Berrien papers at the Georgia Historical Society
- "Hon. J. Macpherson Berrien on the Principles of the Know-Nothings". The New York Times. September 20, 1855.
Biography
- United States Congress. "John Macpherson Berrien (id: B000413)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.