Encyclopedia information on James Oglethorpe:
OGLETHORPE, JAMES EDWARD (1696-1785), English general and
philanthropist, the founder of the state of Georgia, was born
in London on Dec. 21, 1696, the son of Sir Theophilus
Oglethorpe (1650-1702) of Westbrook Place, Godalming, Surrey.
He entered Corpus Christi college, Oxford, in 1714, but in th
same year joined the army of Prince Eugene. He became
aid-de-camp to the prince, and served in the campaign against
the Turks,
1716-17, more especially at the siege and capture
of Belgrade. After his return to England he was in 1722
elected member of parliament. With the idea of providing an
asylum for persons who had become insolvent, and for
oppressed Protestants on the continent, he projected the
settlement of colony in America between Carolina and Florida
(see Georgia). In 1745 Oglethorpe was promoted to the rank
of major-general. His conduct in connection with the
Scottish rebellion of that year was the subject of the
courtmartial, but he was acquitted. In 1765 he was breveted
general. He died at Cranham Hall, Essex, in 1785.
Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, the father, had four sons and four
daughters, James Edward being the youngest son, and another
James having died in infancy. Of the daughters, Anne
Henrietta, Eleanor and Frances Charlotte (Bolingbroke's
"Fanny Oglethorpe") may be specified as having played rather
curious parts in the Jacobitism of their time, their careers
are described in the essay on "Queen Oglethorpe" by Mr. A.
Shield and A. Lang, in the latter's HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
(1904). See also Lives by Harris (1841), Wright (1867),
Bruce (1890), and Harriet C. Cooper (1904).
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