Peter Early

Peter Early (June 20, 1773 – August 15, 1817) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as governor of Georgia and as a two‑term U.S. congressman during the early nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party representing Georgia, he contributed to the legislative process during three terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents at a formative moment in the nation’s political development.

Early was born near Madison in the Colony of Virginia on June 20, 1773, the son of Joel Early and Lucy Smith. He grew up in a family that would become prominent in Georgia and the broader South. He had a sister, Lucy, who later married Charles Lewis Mathews, and a brother, Eleazer, who built the first hotel in Savannah, Georgia, reflecting the family’s early engagement in the commercial and civic life of the state. His cousin, Jubal Early, became the grandfather of Jubal Anderson Early (1816–1894), who would later gain prominence as a Confederate general, indicating the extended family’s long-standing involvement in Southern public affairs.

Early received a classical education. He graduated from the Lexington Academy—now Washington and Lee University—in Virginia, and then attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), from which he graduated in 1792. That same year, his family moved to Wilkes County, Georgia, on the state’s central eastern border, as many Virginians migrated southward seeking new opportunities in the post‑Revolutionary era. Early pursued legal studies in Philadelphia under Jared Ingersoll, a distinguished lawyer and former delegate to the Constitutional Convention. After completing his legal training, he joined his family in Wilkes County, thereby beginning a professional and political career closely tied to the emerging institutions of the young state of Georgia.

Soon after his return to Georgia, Early established himself both personally and professionally. In 1793 he married Ann Adams Smith. By 1796 he had begun the practice of law in Washington, the county seat of Wilkes County, building a reputation as a capable attorney. His legal work in this frontier region of Georgia brought him into contact with leading figures of the state and laid the groundwork for his later judicial and political responsibilities. Through his practice, he became familiar with land disputes, commercial matters, and the legal issues arising from Georgia’s rapid expansion and settlement.

Early entered national politics as a Republican at a time when the party system was still taking shape. He was elected as a Representative from Georgia to the Eighth United States Congress to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of John Milledge, who had been elected governor of Georgia. Early was subsequently re‑elected to the Ninth Congress. During his congressional service, he was selected as one of the House managers (prosecutors) in two of the earliest and most significant federal impeachment proceedings: the impeachment trial of John Pickering, United States District Court judge for New Hampshire, in January 1804, and the impeachment trial of Samuel Chase, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, in December 1804. In these roles he helped articulate the Republican majority’s views on judicial conduct and the limits of federal judicial power. Although described as serving three terms in office as a member of the Republican Party representing Georgia, he did not seek reelection in 1806 and left the House at the close of the Ninth Congress.

After his congressional service, Early returned to Georgia and moved into the judiciary. In 1807 the Georgia General Assembly elected him judge of the Superior Court for the Ocmulgee Circuit, a position he held until 1813. His six years on the bench coincided with a period of rapid population growth and increasing legal complexity in Georgia, and he gained respect and popularity for his conduct and decisions as a jurist. The esteem in which he was held as a judge helped propel him to higher office, and in 1813 he was elected the 28th governor of Georgia. He served one term, from 1813 to 1815, during the latter half of the War of 1812, when the state faced both external threats and internal demands for defense and security.

As governor, Early played a significant role in Georgia’s wartime mobilization. He was instrumental in committing funds on several occasions from the state treasury to help raise and supply additional troops from Georgia to support American military forces during the conflict. His administration dealt with frontier defense, the organization and provisioning of militia units, and the broader challenges of protecting Georgia’s borders. Early’s official communications, including his 1815 “Communication of His Excellency the Governor to the Legislature of Georgia,” reflect his efforts to coordinate state resources with national war aims and to address legislative concerns about finance, security, and public order.

After completing his gubernatorial term in 1815, Early moved to Greene County, Georgia. There he continued his public service at the state level, being elected to the Georgia Senate. His tenure in the Senate extended his long record of participation in Georgia’s political life, from local legal practice to national legislation, the judiciary, the governorship, and finally the state legislature. He remained active in public affairs until his final illness.

During his term in the Georgia Senate, Peter Early died on August 15, 1817, at his summer home near Scull Shoals in Greene County. He was buried on the west bank of the Oconee River near his Fontenoy Plantation home, where a simple monument marked his grave. In 1914, his family had his remains reinterred in the Greensboro City Cemetery, reflecting the continued regard in which he was held nearly a century after his death. His legacy in Georgia is commemorated by the naming of Early County and Fort Early in his honor, underscoring his lasting association with the state’s early political and military history.