- Robert Forsyth (U.S. Marshal)
Robert Forsyth (1754–1794) was the first
U.S. Marshal of the state of Georgia. He is notable as the first marshal killed in the line of duty.Robert Forsyth was born in
Scotland in 1754. As a teenager, he moved to America with his family, where they first settled inNew England before moving to Fredericksburg, , in 1774. At the age of 22, Forsyth enlisted in theContinental Army after the start of theAmerican Revolutionary War . Three years later, onJanuary 10 ,1779 , he received a commission asCaptain in the Corps of Partisan Light Dragoons (Lee's Legion) under MajorHenry Lee III aka "Light-horse Henry".Within the year, Forsyth resigned from Lee's Legion to accept another post. His transfer prompted a letter from
General Washington expressing regret that he was leaving Lee's command, but relief that Forsyth would be "in another line of the Army." Working asaide-de-camp to General Avery, Forsyth's new responsibility was to provision the Southern Army. For this work, which he performed quite well despite almost insurmountable hardships, Forsyth earned a promotion to Major of the First Virginia Legion onMarch 21 ,1781 .After the war, Forsyth returned to Fredericksburg, but moved to
Augusta, Georgia , in 1785. He soon established himself in the new community, becoming a member of the Board of Commissions, where he worked successfully to acquire a new jail for the county. He also worked as a tax assessor,justice of the peace , and trustee of the Richmond Academy. By 1792, he also owned 6,000 acres (24 km²) (about 15,000 hectares) of land. In addition, Forsyth was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati and theFreemasons . He became Master of the Lodge Columbia and Deputy Grand Master for the state of Georgia. Washington appointed him Marshal onSeptember 26 ,1789 . Forsyth was 35 years old.Allen Raid and murder
On
January 11 ,1794 , Marshal Forsyth, accompanied by two of his deputies, went to the house of a Mrs. Dixon to serve a civil court process on two brothers, Beverly and William Allen. Beverly Allen, a former Methodist minister from South Carolina, saw the Marshal approaching, so he hid in a room on the second floor of the house. When Forsyth knocked on the door of the room, Allen fired his pistol at the direction of the knocking. The ball hit Forsyth in the head, killing him instantly. He was the first of over 200 Marshals and Deputies killed in the line of duty. Although Forsyth's Deputies arrested the killer, Allen later managed to escape. He was never recaptured. One brother died in Kentucky in 1817; the other brother died in Georgia in 1826.Forsyth, 40 years old at the time of his murder, left a widow and two sons. One of the boys, John, became governor of Georgia and, later, U.S. Minister to Spain. While at the latter post, he negotiated the treaty ceding
Florida to the United States. John Forsyth also served as Secretary of State under PresidentsAndrew Jackson andMartin Van Buren . His grandson, John, Jr., was also a newspaper editor.External links
* [http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/firstmarshals/forsyth.htm Biography from www.usmarshals.gov]
* [http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=5016 Biography from The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/marshals/rollcall.html Biography at U.S. Marshals Roll Call of Honor]ources
* [http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/firstmarshals/forsyth.htm A public domain biography]
* [http://www.odmp.org/officer/5016-marshal-robert-forsyth Law Enforcement Memorial]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.