Facts about My Life

James Edward Oglethorpe was born in 1695 in London. He was a member of an important English family, and he was educated at Oxford University. After he graduated, he entered the army.

In 1722, he entered Parliament where he served for 32 years. While in the Parliament, James Oglethorpe was a supporter of strong military forces. He was against the drinking of alcohol. In addition, he worked for prison reform and to help people who were in debt who at that time were treated badly.

Why I started Georgia?

In 1732, Oglethorpe had an idea. His idea was to send debtors (people in debt) from prison to a new colony in America. He thought these Worthy Poor would have the opportunity to get a fresh start. In June 1732, he and 20 of his friends received permission for the Georgia colony. The charter named them as trustees (people trusted to run a colony) for a period of 21 years.

My Life at Founding Georgia

In 1733, Oglethorpe landed in Georgia with the first group of colonists. He devoted himself to the problems of organizing the defenses of the colony against the Spanish in Florida. He made an effort to attract new settlers, especially religious minorities from Europe. After a trip to England, he returned to Georgia in 1736 and brought John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. In the early 1740's, Oglethorpe organized the defenses of Georgia and successfully defended the colony during a war with Spain.In 1743, Oglethorpe returned to England with a few of his friends. He remained in England for the remainder of his life.