10/17/2026
London, England, 1785…An unusual portrait of General James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, sketched by artist Samuel Ireland just months before Oglethorpe's death.
The circumstances behind this drawing are fascinating. On February 18, 1785, Oglethorpe attended the auction of books belonging to the recently deceased English writer Dr. Samuel Johnson. Ireland spotted the elderly general sitting with a book he had just purchased and reading it without spectacles!
Oglethorpe had long been acquainted with some of England's leading literary figures, including Johnson, and remained socially active well into old age.
Look closely at the inscription beneath the drawing. It claims Oglethorpe was 102 years old when he died! That wasn't true. Born in December 1696, he was actually 88 when he died on June 30, 1785. His age was frequently exaggerated in contemporary accounts.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Oglethorpe's long life was that he lived to see the American colony he founded in 1733 become part of an independent nation.
In fact, on June 4, 1785, just weeks before his death, Oglethorpe met John Adams, who had recently arrived in London as the first American minister to Great Britain. During their conversation, Oglethorpe expressed his great regard for America and satisfaction that the war between the two countries had ended.
Imagine that! A man who had founded Georgia under the British flag lived long enough to welcome a representative of the independent United States.
Oglethorpe died later that month at his home in Cranham, Essex, and was buried in the parish church there.
One last interesting detail: The National Portrait Gallery in London describes Ireland's drawing as almost a caricature. Whether it captured Oglethorpe's likeness perfectly is open to question, but it remains a fascinating glimpse of Georgia's founder in the final months of his life.
Georgia on My Mind curated by Lisa Land Cooper - Author and Historian
© 2026 Lisa Land Cooper – Author and Historian
