Governor John Houston

Governor John Houston is a Georgia historical marker in Houston County, dedicated 2003.

At the corner of Jernigan and Carrol Streets in Perry.

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Born near Waynesboro in 1744, Houston was the son of Sir Patrick Houston and Priscilla Dunbar. He was elected in 1775 to represent Georgia at the Continental Congress and served on Georgia's Council of Safety, which in January 1776 issued the arrest warrant for Royal Governor James Wright. Georgians elected Houston governor in January 1778. Following the Revolution, Houston was elected governor a second time in 1784 and in that year was appointed one of seven "Trustees for a College," making him one of the founders of the University of Georgia . Houston served as Savannah's first mayor in 1790, and in 1791 helped to host George Washington's Savannah visit. He died in 1796. Named in his honor, Houston County was created in 1821.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1746 · A Map of the British Empire in America. (Sheet 10). (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1816 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1816 · Georgia (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1831 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1869 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

A Map of the British Empire in America. (Sheet 10), 1746, covering the location of Governor John Houston, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — A Map of the British Empire in America. (Sheet 10), 1746, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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This historical marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program and was erected by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

Governor John Houston

Historical maps covering this location

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