Archibald Bulloch

Archibald Stobo Bulloch (January 1, 1730 – February 22, 1777) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the seventh governor of Georgia from 1776 to 1777. Born in the Province of South Carolina, Bulloch fought in the Georgia Militia during the American Revolution, and was also a great-grandfather of Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, and great-great-grandfather of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.

Early life

Bulloch was born in 1730 in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of James Bulloch (1701–1780) and his wife Jean (daughter of Rev Archibald Stobo), both Scots, and was named after his maternal grandfather. After receiving his education in Charleston, he began to practice law and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the South Carolina militia.

In 1758, the Bulloch family moved to the Province of Georgia, and in 1764 Bulloch moved to Savannah. He was elected to the colonial legislature in 1768. In the Continental Congress, he was a member of the Secret Committee, which was responsible for gathering war supplies. Speaking to the Provincial Congress, Bulloch said, "This is no time to talk of moderation; in the present instance it ceases to be a virtue."

Bulloch is also recorded as having been a Freemason in Georgia. His name is listed on the 1779 Masonic rolls of Solomon's Lodge No. 1 at Savannah along with George Walton, John Adam Treutlen, James Jackson, Nathaniel Pendelton, and General Samuel Elbert.

Bulloch would have been a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but decided to return to Georgia to aid the revolution there. He wrote to John Adams, "Such a series of Victory having attended the American Arms, emboldens us further to trust in Providence, that has so remarkably interposed in our behalf, and we cannot but entertain the most sanguine Hopes, of still preserving our most invaluable Liberties." Adams was disappointed that Bulloch would not be able to sign the Declaration, saying, "I was greatly disappointed, Sir, in the information you gave me, that you should be prevented from revisiting Philadelphia."

In 1776, Bulloch fought under the command of Colonel Lachlan McIntosh in the Battle of the Rice Boats on March 2. In later March, he led the raid on Tybee Island to recapture fugitive slaves who had fled to the British. On June 20, 1776, he was chosen to be the first President and Commander-in-Chief of Georgia under the state's temporary republican government. When he signed the state constitution on February 20, 1777, his position transferred from president to governor of Georgia. He was thus Georgia's first chief executive under a proper constitutional government, but the third chief executive in all, following the brief tenures of presidents William Ewen and George Walton.

Death Bulloch died in Savannah while preparing to defend against the British invasion of Georgia in 1777. There is some speculation that he was poisoned, although this has never been proven. His death was a severe blow, as his was the only leadership that united the Whig factions in the troubled young state. He is buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. William Bellinger Bulloch (1777–1852), who later represented Georgia in the United States Senate.

Legacy The gravesite of Archibald Bulloch within Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

Archibald's great-great-grandson was President Theodore Roosevelt.

Bulloch County, Georgia, is named after him.