James Edward Oglethorpe

James Edward Oglethorpe, the soldier-philanthropist who founded the colony of Georgia, is honored in Savannah by a monument erected by the State of Georgia, the City of Savannah, and various patriotic societies and unveiled in 1910. Its 9 foot bronze statue, created by Daniel Chester French, portrays the founder of Georgia in the full dress of a British general of the period, sword in hand, alert and ready for council or action, with a palmetto frond at his feet. The statue faces southward, symbolizing the threat of Spain's imperial ambitions to the young colony. Henry Bacon designed the pedestal and base, and the four lions at the corners of the lower base hold shields bearing the coat of arms of Oglethorpe and the great seals of the Colony of Georgia, the state, and the City of Savannah. Carved on the pedestal is part of the charter granted by Parliament in 1732 to the Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America.

Savannah, Georgia · United States