Return J. Meigs, Jr. | |
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5th United States Postmaster General | |
In office March 17, 1814 – June 26, 1823 |
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Preceded by | Gideon Granger |
Succeeded by | John McLean |
4th Governor of Ohio | |
In office December 8, 1810 – March 24, 1814 |
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Preceded by | Samuel H. Huntington |
Succeeded by | Othniel Looker |
United States Senator from Ohio |
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In office December 12, 1808 – December 18, 1810 |
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Preceded by | John Smith |
Succeeded by | Thomas Worthington |
Chief Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court | |
In office 1803–1804 |
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Member of the Northwest Territory House of Representatives from Washington County |
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In office 1799–1801 |
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Preceded by | New District |
Succeeded by | Ephraim Cutler William Rufus Putnam |
Personal details | |
Born | November 17, 1764 Middletown, Connecticut |
Died | March 29, 1825 Marietta, Ohio |
(aged 60)
Resting place | Mound Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Alma mater | Yale University |
Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Rank | Brevet Colonel |
Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. ( /ˈmɛɡz/; November 17, 1764 – March 29, 1825) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the fourth Governor of Ohio, fifth United States Postmaster General, and as a U.S. Senator.
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Meigs was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Return J. Meigs, Sr. and the descendant of early Puritan settlers in Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale College in 1785 and studied law there. In 1788, after being admitted to the bar in Connecticut, he moved to Marietta, Ohio, where his father had been one of the first settlers, arriving earlier that year.[1]
In Marietta, Meigs was a lawyer, storekeeper and farmer, as well as serving in public offices. He was appointed the first court clerk for the court established at Marietta in 1788. When a post office was established in Marietta in 1794 he became its first postmaster. In 1798 he was named to a judgeship on the Northwest Territory's territorial court, and in 1799 he won election to the territorial legislature.[1]
In 1803 he was appointed the first Chief Justice of the Ohio State Supreme Court. He served in that position for a year before serving as a judge in the Louisiana Territory and Michigan Territory. He returned to Ohio in 1807 to run for governor. He won the election, but was declared ineligible for failing to meet the residency requirements. He then was appointed to the U.S. Senate to finish the term of John Smith and was re-elected to his own term a year later. He resigned in late 1810 after winning the governorship. He served two two-year terms, resigning in April 1814 when appointed Postmaster General by President Madison. He served until 1823, when he retired due to ill health and returned to Marietta. Meigs died in Marietta on March 29, 1825, and is buried in Marietta's Mound Cemetery. His grave is marked by a large monument.[1]
Meigs was married in 1788 to Sophia Wright. They had one child, a daughter.[1] Return J. Meigs, Jr. did not have a direct male heir, but two of his younger brothers, John and Timothy, each named a son Return Jonathan Meigs. The first of these - called Return J. Meigs III - passed the bar in Frankfort, Kentucky, commenced law practice in Athens, Tennessee, and became prominent in Tennessee state affairs before the Civil War. He moved to Staten Island, New York, however, at the time of Tennessee's secession from the Union in 1861.[2] Among those men who read law under his tutelage in Tennessee was William Parish Chilton who would become Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
Timothy's son, Return J. Meigs IV, married Jennie Ross, daughter of principal Cherokee chief John Ross, and emigrated to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.[3]
Meigs County, Ohio is named in his honor. (Meigs County, Tennessee is named for his father.) Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, Ohio was named in his honor during the War of 1812 by William Henry Harrison.[1][4]
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Samuel H. Huntington |
Governor of Ohio 1810 – 1814 |
Succeeded by Othniel Looker |
Government offices | ||
Preceded by Gideon Granger |
United States Postmaster General Served under: James Madison, James Monroe 1814 – 1823 |
Succeeded by John McLean |
Assembly seats | ||
New district | Member of the Northwest Territory House of Representatives from Washington County 1799–1801 Served alongside: Paul Fearing |
Succeeded by Ephraim Cutler Rufus Putnam |
United States Senate | ||
Preceded by John Smith |
Senator from Ohio (Class 1) 1808-12-12 – 1810 Served alongside: Edward Tiffin, Stanley Griswold, Alexander Campbell |
Succeeded by Thomas Worthington |
Legal offices | ||
New title | Chief Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court 1803 – 1804 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Hugh L. Nicholsas Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court |
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