Georgia
Gov. John Wereat
- August 6, 1779 - November 3, 1779
- Whig (conservation faction)
- January 1, 1733
- January 25, 1799
- Other
- Married Hannah Wilkinson; one child
About
JOHN WEREAT, a Revolutionary War politician and president of the Supreme Executive Council (the equivalent of governor) of Georgia, was born in Road, Somerset, England circa 1733. After immigrating to America around 1759, he settled in Bryan County, Georgia, where he became a planter and merchant. Wereat first entered politics as a member of the provincial congress where he became Speaker, a position he held from 1775 to 1776. He also was a member of the Council of Safety, as well as serving as the Continental Agent (commissioner of trade) for Georgia from 1776 until the end of the war. On August 6, 1779, the Supreme Executive Council elected him to serve as chief executive (governor) of Georgia. In 1780, the British invaded Savannah, and soon after, Wereat was captured and held as a prisoner of war until the summer of 1781. After his release, he returned to his political career. He then served as auditor-general of Georgia from 1782 to 1793 and presided over the 1787-1788 convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. He represented Richmond County in the state constitutional conventions of 1789 and 1795. He became involved with land speculation and worked to ensure that the state legislature was made aware of corrupt land companies. Governor John Wereat passed away at his home in Bryan County on January 25, 1799.
Source
Carl Vinson Institute of Government - University of Georgia
Cook, James F. Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004. 3d ed. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2005.
