John Houstoun
| John Houstoun | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Georgia | |
|
In office January 10, 1778 – January 7, 1779 |
|
| Preceded by | John A. Treutlen |
| Succeeded by | William Glascock |
|
In office January 9, 1784 – January 6, 1785 |
|
| Preceded by | Lyman Hall |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Elbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 31, 1744 St. George's Parish, Georgia (modern-day Waynesboro, Georgia) |
| Died | July 20, 1796 (aged 51) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Hannah Bryan |
John Houstoun (/ˈhaʊstən/; August 31, 1744 – July 20, 1796) was an American lawyer and statesman from Savannah, Georgia. He was one of the original Sons of Liberty and also a delegate for Georgia in the Continental Congress in 1775. He was the Governor of Georgia, in 1778, and again in 1784–1785.
John was born to aristocratic Scots immigrants in St. George's Parish, near modern Waynesboro and the eastern border of Georgia. His parents were Sir Patrick (Baronet) and Priscilla (Dunbar) Houstoun. His father served as the registrar of land grants for the Georgia Colony and the collector of quit-rents (a permanent annual tax on each grant). John was educated in Savannah and read law there. He was admitted to the bar and started a law practice in Savannah.
Houstoun married Hannah Bryan, whose father Jonathan was a wealthy Savannah merchant. They built their home, White Bluff, about nine miles (14 km) northwest of Savannah. The couple had no children.
Houstoun was a successful lawyer, and was appointed to the Governor's Council by James Wright. But in 1774, Houstoun was one of the founders of the nascent revolutionary government in Georgia. He joined with Archibald Bulloch and others to form a Committee of Correspondence in support of the residents of Boston suffering the effects of the Boston Port Act. The committee went on to create formal protests against other measures brought about by the Intolerable Acts.
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