About

Elijah H. Burritt and Silas Meacham published the first issue of the Georgia Statesman on December 20, 1825, in Milledgeville, Georgia. The Statesman, along with Cosam Emir Bartlett’s Georgia Patriot supported Clark political faction in Georgia. Burritt was an active member of the Clark Party and held a close relationship with party leader Tomlinson Fort, but his editorials were decidedly less partisan than other contemporaneous Milledgeville newspapers. In June 1827, Burritt purchased the Georgia Patriot and merged it with his own Georgia Statesman to form the Statesman & Patriot. The same year as the merger, Burritt became sole editor and proprietor of the newspaper after Silas Meacham disposed of his interest. From 1827 to 1828, Burritt increasingly wrote in support of protective tariffs, which put him at odds with both Georgia political factions and the majority of Georgia newspapers. The editor continued to write favorably about tariffs after the controversial and divisive Tariff of 1828, further extending his unpopularity. On August 1, 1829, John G. Polhill joined Buritt as an associate editor, and Polhill eventually took complete control of the newspaper in 1830. Polhill’s path to owning the Statesman & Patriot is due to a controversy that embroiled Burritt in late 1829. Polhill, along with other Clark-party members, accused Burritt of circulating abolitionist literature written by African-American abolitionist David Walker. It is true Burritt was in possession of David Walker’s pamphlets after requesting copies in December 1829, but Burritt’s motivation for acquiring the materials remains in dispute. On February 14, 1830, after two subsequent arrests, Burritt fled Georgia and returned to his home town in New England. Polhill became owner and editor of the Statesman & Patriot following Burritt’s departure. The editorial tone of the newspaper shifted dramatically under Polhill by becoming more outspokenly anti-Troup and shifting to an anti-tariff stance. The Burritt affair continued into late 1830 after Seaton Grantland of the Southern Recorder, a rival Troup-supporting paper, published the words of Mrs. Burritt, who accused Polhill of wrongly ousting Elijah Burritt for political reasons. On July 3, 1830, Polhill ceased publication of the Statesman & Patriot and, after reorganizing, printed the first issue of the Federal Union on July 17, 1830.