1806 Autograph Letter Signed from John Milledge former Governor of Georgia to Charles Harris, in Savannah, concerning Milledge’s successor as governor.

An 1806 letter; interesting for three reasons

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The New Georgia Encyclopedia describes John Milledge (1757–1818) “as one of the most important political figures in Georgia during the Revolutionary War (1775–83) and early national period, holding positions as governor, congressman for four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and president pro tempore in the U.S. Senate.”

Here, Milledge writes to notable Savannah, Georgia mayor and lawyer, Charles Harris (1772–1827).

At the time this letter was written in November 1806, John Milledge — very recently Governor of Georgia and already succeeded in that office by Jared Irwin — was serving as a United States Senator. In June 1806, John Milledge had succeeded U. S. Senator James Jackson who had died in office a few months earlier.

Milledge’s letter was written to Charles Harris, former two-term Mayor of Savannah, Georgia who, in the 1820s, would act as attorney for the Spanish slavers involved in a court case concerning the slave ship Antelope, a case finally settled by the U. S. Supreme Court sixteen years before the well-known Amistad case. In 1827, around the time of Charles Harris’ death, Harris County, Georgia was named after him.

In part:

You have my sincere wishes that on the night of this letter you have been restored to health from your late sever illness. Inclosed is a letter I yesterday received from the Secty at War, in answer to my letter to him in favor of [indistinct] to your request of me.

This is the day for the meeting of the Genl Assembly. I suppose they will move on as usual, that is, not proceed to business until tomorrow, & on Wednesday elect a Govr. I am under no apprehension by that our old friend Jared,¹ will be continued for the time, for which I was elected, as it respects the election of Senator there will be great industry and by the Friends of Genl Mitchell. As for myself, I have been at home for some time, have seen very few, and have written to none.

I shall be at Louisville ² [Georgia] the day after tomorrow; will say to them that I am a candidate, and bid them farewell to prepare for setting out for Washington.

The letter John Milledge pens is interesting for three reasons at once: one governor’s comments concerning another governor, a sitting senator’s expectation of being elected U. S. Senator in his own right, and an association with a principal in a noted U. S. Supreme Court slavery case.

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