| John Forsyth | |
| Office: | 13th United States Secretary of State |
| President: | Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren |
| Term Start: | July 1, 1834 |
| Term End: | March 4, 1841 |
| Predecessor: | Louis McLane |
| Successor: | Daniel Webster |
| Jr/Sr1: | United States Senator |
| State1: | Georgia |
| Term Start1: | November 9, 1829 |
| Term End1: | June 27, 1834 |
| Predecessor1: | John M. Berrien |
| Successor1: | Alfred Cuthbert |
| Term Start2: | November 23, 1818 |
| Term End2: | February 17, 1819 |
| Predecessor2: | George Troup |
| Successor2: | Freeman Walker |
| Office3: | 33rd Governor of Georgia |
| Term Start3: | November 7, 1827 |
| Term End3: | November 4, 1829 |
| Predecessor3: | George Troup |
| Successor3: | George Gilmer |
| State4: | Georgia |
| Term Start4: | March 4, 1827 |
| Term End4: | November 7, 1827 |
| Predecessor4: | Constituency reestablished |
| Successor4: | Richard Henry Wilde |
| State5: | Georgia |
| Term Start5: | March 4, 1823 |
| Term End5: | March 3, 1827 |
| Predecessor5: | Robert R. Reid |
| Successor5: | Districts established |
| Term Start6: | March 4, 1813 |
| Term End6: | November 23, 1818 |
| Predecessor6: | Seat established |
| Successor6: | Robert R. Reid |
| Office7: | United States Minister to Spain |
| President7: | James Monroe |
| Term Start7: | May 18, 1819 |
| Term End7: | March 2, 1823 |
| Predecessor7: | George W. Erving |
| Successor7: | Hugh Nelson |
| Office8: | 12th Attorney General of Georgia |
| Governor8: | Jared Irwin David Mitchell |
| Term Start8: | 1808 |
| Term End8: | 1811 |
| Predecessor8: | John Hamil |
| Successor8: | Alexander Allen |
| Birth Date: | 22 October 1780 |
| Birth Place: | Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic-Republican (before 1825) Democratic (1825–1841) |
| Education: | College of New Jersey (renamed Princeton) |
| Signature: | Signature of Georgia politician John Forsyth Sr.png |
John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician from Georgia. He represented the state in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also served as the 33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, Forsyth was appointed the 13th United States Secretary of State by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency of Martin Van Buren. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency of James Monroe.
Forsyth was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His father, Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the first U.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794.[1] [2] He was an attorney who graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of Josiah Meigs, in 1801. One of his sons, John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.
Forsyth served in the United States House of Representatives (1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the United States Senate (1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the 33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the United States Secretary of State from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the Amistad case.[3] He was a loyal follower of Andrew Jackson[4] and opposed John C. Calhoun in the issue of nullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply to Theodore Frelinghuysen about the Indian Removal Act of 1830.[5] [6] He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.[7]
Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Forsyth County, Georgia,[8] Forsyth, Georgia,[9] and Forsyth Park[10] in Savannah are named for him.[11] He died the day before his 61st birthday.
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