Description
Georgia’s First Elected Governor:
John Adam Treutlen and the American Revolution
Few figures better illustrate the promise and peril of Revolutionary Georgia than its first elected governor, John Adam Treutlen. A German immigrant who arrived in colonial Georgia as an indentured servant, Treutlen rose against overwhelming odds to become the state’s chief executive at the most precarious moment of the American Revolution.
Drawing on original archival research in American, British and German sources, this book reconstructs Treutlen’s extraordinary life from his childhood in Germany and formative years at the Salzburger settlement at Ebenezer, through his service in the royal assembly, to his rise as a revolutionary leader. Alongside his personal story, the book traces Georgia’s development from trusteeship to royal colony and finally an independent state.
Treutlen’s murder in the South Carolina backcountry, at the hands of Loyalists, stands as one of the Revolution’s starkest reminders that independence came at a profound cost. Georgia’s First Elected Governor: John Adam Treutlen and the American Revolution restores Treutlen to his rightful place in history and more fully tells the story of Georgia’s uncertain evolution toward self-government.
“John Adam Treutlen is the most famous and perhaps the most elusive of all our Georgia Salzburger ancestors,” said Erika Bragg, president of the Georgia Salzburger Society. “Wright Mitchell’s meticulously researched Georgia’s First Elected Governor: John Adam Treutlen and the American Revolution brings countless primary sources together into one comprehensive volume. This exceptional work serves to make Ebenezer’s favorite son understandable and sympathetic and is a timely publication as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great nation and recognize the accomplishments of the men who laid its foundation.”
About the Author
W. Wright Mitchell, President and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, is an Atlanta native and prominent advocate for safeguarding Georgia’s historic places, with over two decades of leadership in preservation. A former civil litigator, he founded the Buckhead Heritage Society and guided it through a decade of impactful projects, while also contributing numerous articles on Atlanta history to newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. His research centers on colonial Georgia, the Revolutionary War, and the state’s early political development, culminating in his biography of John Adam Treutlen, Georgia’s first elected governor. A graduate of The Lovett School, the University of South Carolina, and Emory University School of Law, Mitchell has served on multiple cultural and preservation boards, including the Atlanta Preservation Center, the Georgia Governor’s Mansion Executive Fine Arts Committee, and the City of Atlanta Sesquicentennial Civil War Commission.