Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America


The Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America, or simply the Georgia Trustees, was a body organized by James Edward Oglethorpe and associates following parliamentary investigations into prison conditions in Britain. After being granted a royal charter in 1732, Oglethorpe led the first group of colonists to the new colony, arriving there in February, 1733. The trustees governed Georgia, one of the Thirteen Colonies, from its founding until 1752, a period known as Trustee Georgia.

Background

Parliament established a committee to investigate prison conditions in February, 1729 and Oglethorpe was appointed chair. The work of the committee resulted in the release of prisoners onto the streets of London and other cities without prospect of employment, and Oglethorpe conceived the idea of a colony as a means of productively employing such people. The plan for the colony quickly broadened in scope to encompass several philanthropic and strategic purposes. Funds from the D'Allone Legacy provided early financing for the Georgia Trust.
Dr. Thomas Bray, a supporter of prison reform, invited Oglethorpe to use an organization he created some years earlier, known as the Associates of Dr. Bray, as the entity through which he might apply for a royal charter for the new colony. Oglethorpe expanded the group to include members of the prison committee and other social reformers. Bray died in February 1730, and Oglethorpe became the driving force behind the organization, which would soon give birth to the Georgia Trustees.
The organization petitioned for a royal charter in July, 1731, which was signed by George II in April, 1732. After passing through government ministries, the charter reached the trustees in June, 1732.

Settlement of Georgia

Oglethorpe personally led the first group of colonists to the new colony, departing England on November, 1732 and arriving at the site of present-day Savannah, Georgia on February 12, 1733 O.S. The founding of Georgia is celebrated on February 1, 1733 N.S., the date corresponding to the modern Gregorian calendar adopted after the establishment of the colony.
Oglethorpe and other Georgia Trustees developed an elaborate plan for settlement of the Georgia Colony. Now known as the Oglethorpe Plan, it specified how towns and regions would be laid out, how property would be equitably and sustainably allocated, and how society would be organized to defend itself on a perilous frontier.
Though Oglethorpe and others wanted debtors' prisoners to inhabit the new colony of Georgia, the Crown determined otherwise. The colony would become a military buffer for South Carolina against the Spanish and some Creek factions. Each of the new "Georgians" was chosen for their work skills, which would best contribute to the colony. The men were trained and made members of the militia for the defense of Georgia and South Carolina.
Most of the 114 traveled with wives, children and servants. Dr William Cox, appointed medical doctor for the colony, brought his wife Elizabeth, son, William, a young daughter and a male servant. In an early letter to the trustees, Dr Cox said: "the greatest health hazard in Savannah is alligators in the streets". However, Dr Cox was the first to die from the real health hazard, that of consumption, for which he had treated many colonists immediately after arrival. Dr Cox was buried with "the highest military honors" by Oglethorpe. His family returned to England, but his son William, only 11 years old, stayed and apprenticed to help build Bethesda, America's oldest orphanage.
The trustees governed the Georgia colony from its founding in 1733 until June 28, 1752 O.S., a period known as Trustee Georgia.

List of Georgia Trustees

The Georgia Trustees:

Trustees named in the royal charter, effective June, 1732

Trustees appointed at the first annual meeting in March, 1733

Trustees appointed at later annual meetings

1734:
Rev. Dr. Thomas Rundle,
Hon. William Talbot,
Richard Coope,
William Wollaston MP,
Hon. Robert Eyre,
Thomas Archer MP,
Robert Tracy,
Hon. Henry Archer,
Francis Wollaston
1737:
Sir Jacob Bouverie, 3rd Baronet
1738:
Sir Henry Gough, 1st Baronet,
Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet
1739:
Lord Sidney Beauclerk
1741:
Hon. Henry Bathurst,
Hon. Philip Perceval,
Sir John Frederick, 1st Baronet
1742:
Hon. Alexander Hume Campbell,
Sir John Barrington, 7th Baronet,
Samuel Tuffnell MP,
Sir Henry Calthorpe, KB
1743:
Sir John Philipps, 6th Baronet,
Velters Cornewall,
John Wright
1745:
Rev. Dr. Thomas Wilson
1747:
Francis Cokayne,
Samuel Lloyd
1749:
John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont,
Anthony Ewer,
Edward Hooper,
Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet,
Slingsby Bethell,
Stephen Theodore Janssen
1752:
Richard Cavendish

Employees and officials of the trustees

London:
Benjamin Martyn, Secretary;
Harman Verelst, Accountant
Savannah:
William Stephens, Secretary, later President of Savannah County and President of the Georgia colony.
Numerous others served in various positions for shorter periods.

Revival of the Georgia Trustees

The concept of the Georgia Trustees was reconstituted in 2008 by the Georgia Historical Society under the suggestion of the Executive Vice-President Laura Garcia-Culler. Each year during the Georgia Historical Society Gala, two new members of the Georgia Trustees are admitted as members by the Georgia Historical Society in conjunction with the Governor's Office. These new members are chosen for their dedication, commitment, and contributions to the State of Georgia.
2009:
Margeurite Neel Williams,
Bernard Marcus
2010:
Hank Aaron,
Ted Turner
2011:
Vincent J. Dooley,
Samuel A. Nunn, Jr.
2012:
Tom Cousins,
Andrew Young
2013:
Truett Cathy,
Herman J. Russell
2014:
Arthur Blank,
Billy Payne
2015:
Alana Shepherd,
Paula Wallace
2016:
James Blanchard,
Muhtar Kent
2017:
F. Duane Ackerman,
A.D. "Pete" Correll
2018:
Ed Bastian,
Paul Bowers
2019:
Frank Blake,
John Schuerholz
2020:
Robert L. Brown, Jr.,
Robert S. Jepson Jr.
2021:
David Abney,
Juanita Baranco
2022:
Dan Cathy,
Shirley Franklin
2023:
Dan Amos,
Donna Hyland
2024:
Louis W. Sullivan,
Carol Tomé
2025:
Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr.