William Schley

{{Short description|American politician (1786–1858)}} {{more footnotes needed|date=March 2013}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = William Schley |image = William Schley.jpg |order1 = 36th |office1 = Governor of Georgia |term_start1 = November 4, 1835 |term_end1 = November 8, 1837 |predecessor1 = Wilson Lumpkin |successor1 = George R. Gilmer |office2 = Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's at-large congressional district |term_start2 = March 4, 1833 |term_end2 = July 1, 1835 |predecessor2 = Henry G. Lamar |successor2 = Jesse F. Cleveland |office3 = Member of the Georgia House of Representatives |term_start3 = 1830 |term_end3 = 1830 |birth_date = {{birth date|1786|12|15}} |birth_place = Frederick, Maryland, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1858|11|20|1786|12|15}} |death_place = Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |party = |spouse = |profession = |signature = Signature of William Schley (1786–1858).png }} '''William Schley''' ({{IPAc-en|s|l|aɪ}} {{respell|SLY}}; December 15, 1786 – November 20, 1858) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as governor of Georgia from 1835 to 1837.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000130|title = Bioguide Search}}</ref>

==Biography== Schley was born on December 15 (some sources say December 10), 1786, in Frederick, Maryland, the original domicile of the Schley family in North America. With others of the family he migrated to Augusta, Georgia, in the early 19th century, where he was educated at the academies of Louisville and Augusta. He later studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1812 and practiced law in Augusta. From 1825 through 1828 he was a Superior Court judge of the Middle District in Georgia.

In 1830, Schley became a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1832 and again in 1834, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. He resigned from that position to become the 36th governor of Georgia from 1835 until 1837.

During his gubernatorial term, Schley initiated the creation of the Western and Atlantic Railroad.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gates|first1=Frederick B.|title=The Impact of the Western & Atlantic Railroad on the Development of the Georgia Upcountry, 1840-1860|journal=Georgia Historical Quarterly|date=Summer 2007|volume=91|issue=2|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=25565260&site=eds-live&scope=site|access-date=June 13, 2016}}</ref> He also advocated the establishment of a lunatic asylum and a geological survey of the state.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stephens|first1=Lester D.|title=John Ruggles Cotting and the First State Geological Survey of Georgia|journal=Georgia Historical Quarterly|date=Fall 2013|volume=97|issue=3|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=101380931&site=eds-live&scope=site|access-date=June 13, 2016}}</ref> Schley published a ''Digest of the English Statutes in Force in Georgia'' (Philadelphia, 1826). He was an ardent Democrat and strict constructionist.

He died in Augusta in 1858 and was buried in that same city in the Schley family cemetery. Schley County, Georgia is named his honor.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/s.pdf| title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=201 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== {{CongBio|S000130}} *[http://www.georgiaarchives.org/what_do_we_have/govhisroster.htm Georgia State Archives Roster of State Governors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123175249/http://www.georgiaarchives.org/what_do_we_have/govhisroster.htm |date=November 23, 2006 }} * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041229221411/http://www.gashpo.org/assets/documents/ga_govs_graves_field_guide.pdf ''Georgia Governor's Gravesites Field Guide (1776-2003)'']}} *[http://www.sos.state.ga.us/onlinetour/2ndfloor/portarits/william_schley.html Georgia Secretary of State official website] *{{Appletons'|wstitle=Schley, William|year=1900}}

==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{Find a Grave|7959353}} *[https://rose.library.emory.edu/ Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library], Emory University: [http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/8zvm8 William Schley papers, 1826-1840]

{{S-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box |state = Georgia |district = AL |before= Henry G. Lamar |after= Jesse F. Cleveland |years= March 4, 1833 – July 1, 1835 }} {{s-off}} {{succession box |before=Wilson Lumpkin |title=Governor of Georgia |years=1835–1837 |after=George R. Gimer }} {{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schley, William}} Category:1786 births Category:1858 deaths Category:Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Category:Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Politicians from Augusta, Georgia Category:Politicians from Frederick, Maryland Category:Jacksonian United States representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:United States representatives who owned slaves Category:19th-century United States representatives Category:19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly