|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Meigs, Jr., Return Jonathan
|
| Affiliation | Democratic-Republican |
|
| Name | Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. |
| Address |
Marietta, Ohio , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
November 17, 1764
|
| Died | March 29, 1824
(59 years)
|
| Contributor | ... |
| Last Modifed | ...
Jun 02, 2004 09:43am |
| Tags |
|
| Info | Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr., was born in Middletown, Connecticut, on November 17, 1764. He attended Yale College. Upon graduating in 1785, he studied the law and eventually joined the Connecticut bar. In 1788, Meigs moved to Marietta, Ohio, as one of the town's first residents.
Thanks to his legal background, Meigs was appointed to numerous governmental positions. The first office he held was a judgeship of the Northwest Territory. He assisted Winthrop Sargent and John Gilman in amending Maxwell's Code in 1798. In 1799, he served in the territorial legislature. He actively supported Ohio statehood, and in 1803, he became the first chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. He resigned his seat in October 1804 and accepted a position as the commander of United States soldiers and militia forces in the St. Charles District of the Louisiana Territory. He also served as a judge in the Louisiana Territory. Meigs returned to Ohio in 1806 but quickly left when he was appointed to the United States District Court of the Michigan Territory.
Meigs returned to Ohio in 1808 and immediately ran for governor. Politically Meigs had supported the Federalist Party, but he eventually changed his allegiance to the Democratic-Republican Party. He probably did this because most Ohioans during the early 1800s favored the Democratic-Republicans. Meigs still favored many Federalist policies, especially enhancing internal improvements and creating a more diversified economy. Meigs defeated Nathaniel Massie for the governor's seat in 1808, but the state legislature declared that he was not eligible for the office because he had not lived long enough in Ohio. Meigs then was appointed to one of Ohio's United States Senate seats after John Smith resigned the position. In 1809, Meigs won the seat officially, but he resigned the next year to run for governor.
In 1810, Meigs ran against Thomas Worthington. People who had migrated to Ohio from Virginia, Kentucky, and other Southern states favored Worthington, while those from Northeastern states voted for Meigs. Meigs carried the election. The governor played a major role in the War of 1812. In 1812, he recruited more than one thousand men to attack the British in Canada as well as villages of Indians loyal to England. He placed William Hull in command of the soldiers. Unfortunately for his army, Hull was not a stellar military commander. In August 1812, Hull surrendered his entire army, now numbering 2,500 men, to the British. Despite this setback, Ohio voters reelected Meigs in 1812. He continued to provide the United States military with men and supplies. Many Ohioans were especially fearful of the large number of Native Americans residing in or near the state. In March 1814, President James Madison selected him to be the Postmaster General of the United States. Meigs resigned as Ohio's governor and accepted the appointment. During his tenure with the Postal Service, he almost doubled the number of post offices in the United States. Due to this tremendous growth, the Postal Service experienced some difficult financial times. At two separate times Congress investigated Meigs. The Congress exonerated him on both occasions. He retired in 1823 due to poor health. He returned to Marietta and died there on March 29, 1824.
|
 | BOOKS |
 |
|
| Title |
Purchase |
Contributor |
|
| Start Date |
End Date |
Type |
Title |
Contributor |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
| INFORMATION LINKS |
|
|
|
|
