Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

Recently I was reading about an obscure signer of The Declaration of Independence named George Walton. Walton was born in Virginia in 1741. Walton was orphaned by age seven and raised by his Uncle in Prince Edward County, Virginia. At age nineteen he moved to Georgia where his older brother, John, was residing. Of particular note to me as I was reading was how George Walton was considered an honest and trustworthy man by some and a scoundrel by others. Walton was no doubt a hard worker with a great deal of dedication. Not allowed candles to read at night by his uncle, Walton used wood shavings and other such scraps to study law while he worked as a carpenter. Walton became a very successful lawyer in Georgia and worked his way into public prominence.

Walton was elected Governor of Georgia, appointed Chief Justice, a superior court judge and a state senator at various times during his life. He was in and out of public favor it seemed. His feud with fellow declaration signer, Button Gwinnett, led to his censure by the legislature for his involvement in a duel which led to Gwinnet’s death. He was also involved in several shady land scandals that rocked the government, the most famous being the Yazoo Land Scandal. During the Revolutionary War he was captured by the British and later ransomed for a British Captain or worked his way to freedom by giving his services as a British officer, depending on which story you feel is accurate as both are written in brief biographies about him. By these seeming contradictions one can get a sense that there is something accurately human about George Walton that gives him such an air of fascination for such an obscure historical figure.

Not a great deal is written about George Walton. There are no huge tomes written and not even modest biographies. The most one can find are brief sketches found in books written about the signers of the declaration. Yet he most certainly played a huge role in the early history of Georgia. His role as signer of the declaration is significant in that he signed the document, but any other significance is limited to his role as a leader in Georgia. Given the scandal and the huge canyons of differing opinion by men who knew him, it is certainly a shame that we do not know more about George Walton. From my view, I am certain his story would put many of our political scandals today to shame. But it does go to show that there is, indeed, nothing new under the sun.

Categoried under:  Signers of the Declaration of Independence