John Batts
John Batts | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Georgia Inferior Court | |
| In office August 9, 1858 – January 10, 1861 | |
| Member of the Georgia State Senate | |
| In office 1859–1860 | |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from Lee County | |
| In office 1857–1858 | |
| Justice of the Georgia Inferior Court | |
| In office 1856–1857 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 11, 1814 |
| Died | May 19, 1878 (aged 63) Smithville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Smithville Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Livingston |
| Children | 13 |
| Occupation | planter politician |
John A. Batts (September 11, 1814 – May 19, 1878) was an American planter, slaveowner, and politician. He sat in the Georgia General Assembly and was an inferior court judge.
Career
[edit]Batts was a wealthy planter who enslaved at least 35 people on his plantation in Lee County, Georgia.[1][2] He owned 2,250 acres of land, making him one of the largest landholders in the county.[3][4]
In the late 1840s, Batts served on a regional committee to develop plans to construct a railroad through Lee County to the Georgia Central Line in Macon.[3]
He served in the Georgia General Assembly, first as a representative of Lee County in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1857 to 1858 and then as a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1859 to 1860.[5] He was a member of the senate when the state seceded from the Union but was not a member of the secession convention.[3]
Batts was also a justice of the Georgia Inferior Court from 1856 to 1857 and again from 1858 to 1861.[5] He also served as a delegate to a Democratic convention in Milledgeville to endorse John C. Breckinridge for president.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Batts was a Baptist.[6]
He was married to Mary Livingston and had thirteen children.[7] His son, William, served in the 12th Georgia Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and was killed at the Battle of Cedar Mountain.[1][8] Following the war, Batts applied for a presidential pardon from President Andrew Johnson after emancipating his slaves and swearing allegiance to the United States.[8]
He died by suicide, shooting himself in the head with a pistol, on May 19, 1878, after suffering from depression.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Paula Deen reads about the horrors of war through her ancestor's letters..." Who Do You Think You Are?. 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Given Her Family History, Paula Deen Should Know Better". St. Louis Magazine. St. Louis, Missouri. June 26, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hall, Andy (July 5, 2013). "The White Lies of Paula Deen". Dead Confederates. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Paula Deen Discovers Her Ancestors Were Slave Owners On 'Who Do You Think You Are?' (VIDEO)". HuffPost. May 21, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Chef Paula Deen learns about her Politician 3 time Great Grandfather!". Who Do You Think You Are?. 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "Suicide of Judge John Batts". Weekly Sumter Republican. Sumter, Georgia. May 24, 1878. p. 3.
- ↑ Peacock, Jane Bonner (1966). "A FOOT SOLDIER'S ACCOUNT: LETTERS OF WILLIAM BATTS, 1861-1862". JSTOR. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1 2 "Paula Deen discovers a heart-wrenching event that deeply affected her family during the Civil War!". Who Do You Think You Are?. 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1814 births
- 1878 deaths
- 19th-century Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges
- 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly
- 19th-century owners of plantations in the United States
- American politicians who died by suicide
- Baptists from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators
- Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives
- Owners of plantations in Georgia (U.S. state)
- People from Lee County, Georgia
- Slave owners from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Suicides by firearm in Georgia (U.S. state)