George Walton

• American

Born in Virginia in 1749, Walton came to Savannah in 1769 to study law, subsequently becoming one of the most successful lawyers in Georgia and an activist for independence from Great Britain.

He was one of the Sons of Liberty in 1775 and distinguished himself as President of the Executive Council of Georgia (1775-76) and member of the Provincial Congress. In February 1776, he became a delegate to the Continental Congress arriving in Philadelphia in time to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

In 1778, the British invaded Georgia. Walton, the senior colonel in the state's militia, became the acting commander of the state militia forces. When the British attacked Savannah in December 1778, Colonel Walton's men participated in the battle. The stronger British forces overwhelmed them wounding Walton and holding him captive until 1779. After the war, Walton became Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court (1783-86 and 1793), Governor of Georgia (1779, 1789), United States Senator (1795-96), and Judge of the Superior Court. He moved to Augusta around 1787 and made Meadow Garden his home from c. 1791-92 until his death on February 2, 1804. Walton is buried at the Signers Monument on Greene Street. - NPS