John Fontaine
John Fontaine | |
---|---|
Born | 1792 |
Died | 1866 |
Occupation | Planter, politician |
Spouse(s) | Mary Ann (Stewart) Fontaine |
John Fontaine (1792-1866) was an American plantation owner and politician. He served as the first Mayor of Columbus, Georgia from 1836 to 1837. He defended Columbus during the Creek War of 1836.
Biography[]
Early life[]
John Fontaine was born in 1792.[1]
Career[]
He was a steamboat owner and cotton merchant.[1][2][3] He was also a large plantation owner.[4]
He served as the first Mayor of Columbus, Georgia from 1836 to 1837.[3][5][6][7] He defended the town during the Creek War of 1836, with the help of Governor William Schley.[2][7] He used Creek informants to spy and report on their planned attacks.[7]
Personal life[]
He married Mary Ann (Stewart) Fontaine (1808-1852).[6] They had six children:
- Henrietta Fontaine (1827-1857).
- Mary Elizabeth Fontaine (1835-unknown).
- Benjamin Bruton Fontaine (1838-1870).
- Theophilus Fontaine (1842-1896).
- Francis Fontaine (1844-1901).
- George H. Fontaine (1850-1904).
Death[]
He died in 1866.[1]
Legacy[]
- His son, Francis Fontaine, who inherited and managed his plantations, became a newspaper editor, poet and novelist.[4]
- His portrait, painted by Edward Ludlow Mooney (1813-1887), can be found at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia.[6]
References[]
- ^ a b c Fontaine family papers, University of Georgia Libraries:
- ^ a b Letter, 1836 May 22, Milledgeville, Geo[rgia to] John Fontaine, Columbus, Georgia / William Schley, Governor of Georgia, Digital Library of Georgia
- ^ a b Artists for Hire in Antebellum Columbus: March 18 - June 24, 2007 Archived July 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine,
- ^ a b Hubert H. McAlexander, 'Francis Fontaine (1945-1901)', in The New Georgia Encyclopedia Companion to Georgia Literature , Hugh Ruppersburg (ed.), John C. Inscoe (ed.), Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2011, pp. 145-146 [1]
- ^ Mayors of Columbus, Georgia Archived 2012-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c John Fontaine, (painting), Smithsonian Institution
- ^ a b c John T. Ellisor, The Second Creek War: Interethnic Conflict and Collusion on a Collapsing Frontier, Omaha, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2010, p. 200 [2]
Categories:
- 1792 births
- 1866 deaths
- Mayors of Columbus, Georgia
- American planters
- American slave owners
- 19th-century American politicians
- Georgia (U.S. state) mayor stubs