David Emanuel (Governor of Georgia)
| David Emanuel | |
|---|---|
| 24th Governor of Georgia | |
|
In office March 3, 1801 – November 7, 1801 |
|
| Preceded by | James Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Josiah Tattnall, Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1744 Pennsylvania |
| Died |
(aged 63–64) Burke County, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Lewis |
| Children | Lewis, John, Eli, Mary Martha, Asenath, and Ann |
| Residence | Burke County, Georgia |
| Religion | Presbyterianism |
David Emanuel (1744 – February 19, 1808) became 24th Governor of Georgia on March 3, 1801 upon the resignation of James Jackson to become U.S. Senator from Georgia. Emanuel served until November 7, 1801, the remainder of Jackson's term, but did not seek re-election. Emanuel was a member of the Democratic Republican Party. Prior to serving as governor he was the President of the Georgia Senate.
Some historians believe Emanuel to be the first governor of Jewish heritage of any U.S. state, while others believe that he was Presbyterian. One early claim that he was Jewish seems to have been based mainly on hearsay in Savannah, Georgia, and a letter from a descendant of David Emanuel's sister Ruth Emanuel Twiggs, Judge H.D.D. Twiggs of Savannah, who stated, "I do not know where Governor David Emanuel came from, I only know that, beyond doubt, he was a Jew." Judge Twiggs was born some years after David Emanuel had died, and so would not have had first hand knowledge of his heritage.
At least one person of Jewish heritage married into the Twiggs family, that being Abraham Myers who married David Emanuel Twiggs's daughter, Marion. Another rationale given for Emanuel having Jewish ancestry is the preponderance of Old Testament names in the Emanuel family tree. Other researchers believe that David Emanuel was Presbyterian and of Welsh heritage. His family was closely associated with the Welsh community that originally settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania around 1700. One Emanuel family researcher has found evidence that David Emanuel was a grandson of Emanuel Jones, of Wales, and believes that the name "Emanuel" became the family surname because of the idiosyncrasies of the Welsh patronymic naming system. The use of Old Testament names was actually common among Protestant Christians in some parts of Wales. Emanuel Jones was at one time a trustee of the Charlestown, Pennsylvania, Presbyterian Church.
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