 State of Georgia v. Ulysses S. Grant et al
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteIn 1867, the State of Georgia called for a constitutional convention in order to rewrite the constitution to extend the right to vote to black males. Governor Charles J. Jenkins, an outspoken opponent of the Fourteenth Amendment who had tried to persuade the Supreme Court to issue an injunction against the Reconstruction Act, was ordered by General George Meade, who was then military commander of Georgia, to pay $40,000 to fund the convention so as to rewrite the constitution to comply with federal requirements. Jenkins refused and both he and state treasurer John Jones were removed, by Meade, from office. Both men fled the state and took with them $400,000 from the state treasury, which they deposited in a bank in New York. Jenkins and Jones were replaced by General Thomas Ruger, who served six months as provisional governor, and Charles F. Rockwell, who served as provisional treasurer. Feeling that he was wrongly and illegally outsted, Jenkins filed the Supreme Court bill The State of Georgia against Ulysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, Thomas H. Ruger, and Charles F. Rockwell (1868), alleging that the defendents had illegally seized the Governor's office and several state properties, including a railroad. In December 1867 the Supreme Court threw out the bill, titled 73 U.S. 241, citing a lack jurisdiction. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of the Supreme Court Bill The State of Georgia against Ulysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, Thomas H. Ruger, and Charles F. Rockwelll (1868), which presents ousted Georgia Governor Charles J. Jenkins' case against the defendents for illegally seizing the office of the governor and state property. The bill is in the form of a ten page booklet, accompanied by a two page handwritten summons and a handwritten testimony certifying "that the foregoing [bill] is a true copy." Also included is a letter from Charles J. Jenkins, Milledgeville, 1868 January 17, to Thomas Ruger regarding his removal as governor. Another letter by Jenkins, written 1868 January 29, is addressed to all defendents informing them of his plans to file a bill with the Supreme Court. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationState of Georgia v. Ulysses S. Grant et al, ms 3776, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2013. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryRelated collections in this repository include the Joshua Hill letter to President Ulysses S. Grant, ms 1490 and the Horace Greeley letter to James Dunn, ms 1007. Related collections in other repositories include the Charles Jones Jenkins letter, 1865, #05306, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. | ||||||||||||||||||||