Matthew McAllister (1758–1823)

Matthew McAllister (May 4, 1758 – May 9, 1823) was an American politician who served as the first United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia (1789–1797) and Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1798–1799 and 1814–1815).

Matthew McAllister
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia
In office
1789–1797
Appointed byGeorge Washington
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byCharles Jackson
7th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia
In office
1798–1799
Preceded byJohn Glen
Succeeded byThomas Gibbons
In office
1814–1815
Preceded byGeorge Jones
Succeeded byThomas Charlton
Personal details
Born
Matthew McAllister

(1758-05-04)May 4, 1758
York County, Pennsylvania
DiedMay 9, 1823(1823-05-09) (aged 65)
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
ParentsRobert McAllister

Biography

He was born on May 4, 1758[1] in York County, Pennsylvania,[2] the 5th child of Colonel Robert McAllister who founded the town of Hanover, Pennsylvania.[1] In 1784, after graduating from Princeton, he moved to Savannah, Georgia where he practiced law.[2] In 1789, he was named by George Washington[3] as the first United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia; he served until 1797 when he was replaced by Charles Jackson.[2] He was linked to the Yazoo Land Fraud of 1795 and came under scathing criticism from the state's leading Republican, James Jackson which impacted his career.[2] He later served in the Georgia Legislature[2] and as mayor of Savannah from 1798 to 1799 and again during the War of 1812 from 1814 to 1815.[4] He did not receive an appointment during Thomas Jefferson's administration (1801–1809).[2]

He married Hannah Gibbons, sister of William Gibbons.[1] They had two children, Harriet, who died in infancy, and Judge Matthew Hall McAllister.[1] He died on May 9, 1923.[1]

References
  1. Ward McAlister. The University Magazine. July 1893. pp. 865–866.
  2. "To Thomas Jefferson from Matthew McAllister, 15 April 1801". National Archives Founder's Online. April 15, 1801.
  3. Highton, Henry H. (1870). Representative and Leading Men of the Pacific: Matthew Hall McAllister. Bacon & Company.
  4. "A List of Mayors and Aldermen of the City of Savannah, Georgia, 1790-2012". savannahga.gov. p. 45 and 51.
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