Charles James McDonald was an American attorney, jurist and politician.
Background
Charles James McDonald was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Charles and Mary (Glas) Burn McDonald. The elder McDonald had emigrated from Scotland in 1761 and about 1794 he took his family to Georgia and settled in Hancock County.
Education
McDonald was sent to South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) and was graduated in 1816. After studying law for a short time under Joel Crawford, an eminent Georgia lawyer, he was admitted to the bar in 1817 and began practice in Milledgeville, Ga.
Career
In a few years he entered upon a career of public service and held office successively as solicitor-general (1822 - 25) and judge (1825 - 30) of the Flint circuit; as a member of the General Assembly of Georgia (1830, 1834 - 37); as governor (1839 - 43); and as justice of the supreme court of the state (1855 - 59). His terms as governor occurred during a period of economic distress following the crisis of 1837. The state in 1828 had set up a bank of issue known as the Central Bank, entirely state-owned, and for a number of years Georgia enjoyed the enviable situation of being able to dispense with state taxation, the profits of the bank being more than sufficient to meet the state's obligations, which at that time were small. The "general tax" usually collected was remitted to the counties for their support. With the coming of economic difficulties in the late thirties, the bank's profits were inadequate to finance the state, but the legislature could not be induced to resort to taxation. Instead, the bank was required to borrow money to meet the legislative appropriations.
The capital stock of the bank was in this way consumed and when McDonald came into office a $300, 000 obligation of the bank had been protested for non-payment. It became McDonald's duty to devise means for rehabilitating the state financially. He finally prevailed upon the legislature to resume its taxing function and the general tax was reenacted in 1841 for the first time in six years. The legislature also empowered the Governor to issue $1, 000, 000 of state bonds for the redemption of state bank notes. In this way the state's credit was restored. In national politics McDonald was a Democrat of the strict-construction school. He was an advocate of secession in 1850 and went as the leader of the Georgia delegation to the Nashville Convention where he was vice-president of the first session and president of the second session. Along with Rhett, Barnwell, and Colquitt, he attempted to commit the convention to extreme action. Unionists considered it of prime importance that Georgia should set the example to other Southern states of acquiescing in Clay's compromise measures. Toombs, Stephens, and Cobb organized a Constitutional Union party on that issue with Cobb as the gubernatorial candidate. McDonald was nominated by the opposing group, which took the name Southern Rights party. Its platform denounced Clay's compromise measures and specifically upheld the sovereign right of secession. In the election McDonald was overwhelmingly defeated, carrying only twenty-one of the ninety-five counties. Some time after his term as governor he removed to Marietta, Ga. , and there he died.
Achievements
Connections
In 1819 McDonald had married Anne Franklin, of Macon, Ga. , by whom he had five children. After her death he was married to Mrs. Ruffin, of Virginia.