Early Life
James Edward Oglethorpe was born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Godalming, England on December 22, 1696. His mother, Eleanor, called him Jamie when he was a child and had high expectations for her tenth and last child. During James’ youth, his family lived at Westbrook Manor, a country estate outside of London. He graduated from Eton and Corpus Christi College, Oxford and then began a brief military career fighting the Turks under Prince Eugene of Savoy. (Oglethorpe.edu, 2023) An interesting story occurred while a young James was at a dinner party in which the Prince of Württemburg purposely spilled his drink on James. In this time period, a man’s honor and reputation were extremely important and most men would have challenged the Prince to a duel. James knew the fight wouldn’t be fair due to the inebriated state of the Prince, and instead used quick wit and acted as though it were a joke and proceeded to fling his glass of wine onto the unsuspecting prince. His actions created an uproarious laughter from the party guests and diffused the delicate situation. Oglethorpe’s ability to quickly subdue a situation that could have turned violent would become indispensable throughout his life (Blackburn, 1994). James began a career in the British parliament at the young age of 26 and learned diplomacy, the art of persuasion and negotiation, which he would use to found the colony of Georgia.
Founding of Georgia
While in parliament, James had a friend in Robert Castell who passed away in debtors’ prison due to the unsanitary conditions and poor treatment of inmates. James had compassion for the oppressed and believed that he should do something about the problem of overcrowded prisons. A person could be put in jail for as little as $100 in today’s money. Prison wardens were known for extorting inmates and increasing their debts by charging for better food and prison cells. You could easily owe more after a few weeks in prison, making it more difficult for friends and family to pay your debts and obtain your release. James was able to convince parliament to set up a charity colony that would also protect South Carolina from the Spanish threat in Florida, thereby solving two problems with one action. The colony of Georgia was founded in February of 1733 by James Oglethorpe and 114 colonists who arrived on the ship Anne. James was shrewd and quickly realized that he needed the local Indians’ help if the colony was going to survive. James befriended the Chief of the Yamacraw Indians, Tomochichi, and began a long and fruitful friendship that was vital in the success of the Georgia colony.
The Oglethorpe Plan
James Oglethorpe had a vision to create a planned city in which there would be measured city squares and streets passing around these squares in a grid pattern. The squares were designed to hold town meetings, government buildings, businesses, and private residences all in a structured layout. America’s first planned city would be efficient for running the colony and protecting the colony from the Spanish. Oglethorpe was a visionary a few hundred years ahead of his time. He forbade slavery, lawyers, and hard liquor. He believed that slavery was a moral wrong and believed that people should be able to iron out their differences without needing traditional courts. James was actually an arbiter of many disputes that could not be handled by the settlers. He disdained hard drinking and believed that people should be productive each day in order to quickly establish the colony and the numerous forts along the Atlantic coast of Georgia. One important element of the new colony that should not be overlooked is the fact that James risked his own money and fortune on the Georgia colony. Though it is hard to give an exact amount of money in today’s currency, a rough estimate would put his investment to over $3 million dollars. This is one of the reasons that James was able to convince the British parliament to continue to give money to the fledgling colony that had not yet earned a profit in the earlier years.
Battle of Bloody Marsh
An important battle happened between the British and the Spanish in 1742 that further cemented James Oglethorpe’s place in British and American history. War between England and Spain, dubbed King George’s War, lasted from 1739 to 1748. Hostilities had been ongoing for several years between the two powers before the situation involving James Oglethorpe and his army of colonists and Indian defenders of Georgia. Interestingly, James pleaded with the British parliament and South Carolina legislature to send him men and supplies to wage war against the Spanish. James had Indian scouts giving him intel that the Spanish were preparing for an attack on the Forts at Frederica and St. Simons in 1742. Unfortunately, James was told to stand down and not get into an engagement with the Spanish. English Prime Minister Walpole said to James “I must ask you to disband your regiment of regular forces, General. It is the only way my government can prove its peaceful intentions toward Spain.” Oglethorpe’s response tells you everything about his true character–”What kind of man do you take me to be? Do you think I have no conscience? I took the responsibility of leading hundreds of souls to Georgia to live in safety and prosperity. Are you asking me to abandon them to be murdered by the Spanish, sir? I will not be your pawn!” (Blackburn, 1994) On June 28th, 1742, a fleet of over 30 Spanish war ships sailed up the Atlantic coast headed for Fort St. Simons. Outnumbered approximately 5 to 1, and without the firepower or naval power of the Spanish, Oglethorpe had his military plans and defenses ready. A lesser man would have fled back to England citing the overwhelming odds against the Georgia defenders. Using guerrilla tactics learned from Indians, a force of approximately 800 colonists, Indians, and Scottish Highlanders beat the Spanish in the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Oglethorpe was in the thick of the battle commanding troops to be brave and courageous during moments of panic. This led to the Spanish forces leaving coastal Georgia shortly after the battle. Numerous colonial governors throughout the colonies learned of the news and congratulated Oglethorpe on the momentous victory. Within a year after the victory, James Oglethorpe sailed back to England to start a new chapter in his life.
Marriage
After spending over 10 years of his life establishing the colony of Georgia to protect the Southern border of the American colonies, James decided to settle down and married Elizabeth Wright of Cranham, Essex. They were married in an extravagant ceremony in Henry VIII’s chapel at Westminster Abbey, befitting their social status. They settled down in Elizabeth Oglethorpe’s home near Whitehall.
Later Life
Oglethorpe remained involved in politics through his numerous contacts and friends throughout England. He also had an interest in the colonies, specifically the Georgia colony that he founded. James disapproved of the ban on slavery being lifted in Georgia and predicted that it would cause trouble for the colony he put his sweat, blood, money, and tears into for a decade. Throughout his life, he always voiced his opinion that the poor should be looked after and that people should have religious freedom to choose how to worship. He was secretly delighted that the American colonists decided to revolt against the crown and become the United States of America. In 1785, a month before James Oglethorpe’s death, he had a historic conversation with the American Ambassador to England and eventual President of the United States, John Adams. Oglethorpe and Adams exchanged dialogue whereby Oglethorpe told Adams how proud he was of the American colonies and their victory for independence from England. Adams replied “Americans will forever consider you one of us in the defense of freedom and opportunity for all mankind”(Blackburn, 1994). At the age of 89, on June 30, 1785, James Oglethorpe passed away into eternal sleep. His legacy continues in the way Americans think about the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. He has a University in Atlanta named after him and is memorialized with a statue in Chippewa square and another square bearing his name in Savannah, GA.
-Wesley J. Worthington