William Stephens: Georgia's Forgotten Founder (review)

History loves a rebel. Its practitioners routinely sing the praises of men who question authority, challenge conventional wisdom, defy tyrannical kings, or perform extraordinary acts of derring-do. William Stephens, who served as the Georgia colony's Secretary and President from 1737 to 1750, was definitely not cut from that mold. As Julie Anne Sweet observes, Stephens was "so ordinary" (2) that later generations have forgotten him. Sweet's biography of Stephens is a corrective to that historical myopia. Finding virtue in ordinariness, Sweet identifies "devotion to duty" (ix) as the principal theme of Stephens's life. By following the letter of the law and submitting to the will of his superiors in London, Sweet argues that Stephens deserves credit for shepherding the fledgling colony through many a storm—often at great personal cost.

Divided into two parts, Part One examines Stephens's public life. After a promising twenty-five year career in the House of Commons, Stephens's fortunes took a turn for the worse when he lost his seat in the Commons and experienced financial difficulty, leaving him jobless and in serious debt. Mercifully, the Georgia Trustees saved Stephens by appointing him Secretary to the fledgling colony. Arriving in Georgia in 1737, Stephens proved to be an effective employee whose main job was to correspond with the Trustees—in effect, serving as their eyes and ears. Stephens appreciated the second chance in life given to him by the Trustees. Consequently, he defended their policies without question and identified the Trustees' dreams for the colony as his own.

Those dreams, however, were not universally shared. While Stephens lauded the colony's potential, many harbored grievances about its economic malaise and poor governance, and formed a political coalition (dubbed "Malcontents") intended to reverse many Trustee policies, in particular the prohibition of slavery and restrictions on landholding. Sweet indicates that Stephens was at first reluctant to get embroiled in their controversies and seems to have kept an open mind, at least publicly. Privately, however, Stephens disagreed with their plans to re-make the colony in the image of neighboring South Carolina. Ordered by the Trustees to compose a lengthy account of the colony, Stephens's 1740 "State of Province of Georgia" skewered Malcontents for their insubordination and laziness. This act, Sweet observes, "made Stephens a true Malcontent enemy" (46) and touched off a war-of-words and deeds between them that endured for several years.

Having gained confidence of the Trustees by defending their policies, the Trustees named Stephens as Georgia's first President in 1741, a position he held until his retirement in 1750. This new position strengthened Stephens's hand, enabling him to stabilize the Georgia government. He not only parried Malcontent attacks but also ferreted out government corruption by dismissing ineffective or untrustworthy employees. In Sweet's estimation, Stephens thrived when it came to the management of the colony's internal affairs. However, Stephens was less in his element when it came to diplomacy and military affairs that required him to deal with outsiders. In particular, Stephens "did not like dealing with Indians" (83) and did not like cajoling militia officers to do their duty. Nevertheless, Sweet indicates that Stephens "handled it as well as he could" (101) given the limited resources at his disposal.

Sweet devotes the book's Part Two to Stephens's private life, emphasizing the extent to which he put professional obligations before his family, most of whom remained in England. His marriage seems to have been troubled (not once did he write his wife during their fourteen-year separation), and most importantly, Stephens experienced major falling out with his son, Thomas, who came to Georgia only to spurn his father by siding with the Malcontents. Stephens disowned Thomas for engaging in a multitude of activities in their behalf and the two never repaired the breach before William's death in 1751.

Though he had a checkered family life, Stephens was a devoted agriculturalist and persisted in raising grapes and silkworms long after others in Georgia...