Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 211
THE LEADING WORKERS AMONG THE TRUSTEES IN EVERY DEPARTMENT
OP SERVICE, 1732-1752.
Corporation Council
Name Meetings Meetings Committees Total
Vernon .................. 394 176 142 712
Egmont .................. 343 161 110 614
L'Apostre ................ 294 138 94 526
Smith .................... 352 75 43 470
T. Towers ................ 193 125 100 418
Laroche .................. 161 110 62 334
Hucks ................... 187 82 60 329
Hales .................... 152 95 53 300
Oglethorpe ............... 147 70 50 267
Shaftesbury .............. 138 80 48 266
Since these ten men by every test appear to have done the major
part of the work in founding and supporting Georgia, it is highly im
portant that they be studied in detail; while, on the other hand, it is
not essential that those who contributed almost no service to Georgia
should be discussed, however eminent and important they may have
been in other fields.
It is remarkable that the name of James Vernon heads the list in
every department of service connected with the trust. Not only was
he first in attending the corporation, the common council, and commit
tees, but he was the most consistent and regular worker among the trus
tees. Several of the ten listed above were faithful and prompt when
the enterprise was begun; but, as the hardships increased and as the
task appeared to attract less enthusiasm and approval among the people
generally, some of them became less regular in their attendance. Ver
non maintained the good record with which he began his labors for
Georgia, and during the last nine years of proprietary government he
was absent from only four of the 114 meetings held by the corporation.
At the meetings when he was absent, only routine business of slight
iinportance was transacted,* so that Vernon may be said to have parti
cipated in practically everything that was done after 1743. The attend
ance of other members of the corporation at these meetings varied
greatly, and it was nearly always small, no other member being present
at near all the meetings. One might infer from the situation that dur
ing much of the time Vernon was practically in charge of the work and
that he called in others to confirm and make legal what he wished to
do, though he was doubtless only leading and not entirely dominating
corporation affairs. The part he played in the common council and in
committees was similar to that he held in the corporation.
The general idea of his leadership during the second decade of the
trust is reinforced by the fact that during this period the policy for
which he stood came more and more into practice. More earnestly than
any other trustee, so far as the records indicate, Vernon had advocated
the plan of satisfying the colonists in Georgia and so- inducing them
"C.B. I: 533, 536, 575, 576.