Royal Georgia refers to the period between the termination of Trustee governance of Georgia and the colony's declaration of independence at the beginning of the American Revolution (1775-83). During that period the province was administered in theory by the king of England but in practice by a member of his cabinet known at various times as secretary of state for the Southern Department and secretary for America. A provincial council provided a semblance of government during the years 1752-54 while the Georgia charter passed through parliamentary committees and received the royal signature. John Reynolds, the first royal governor of Georgia, proved ineffective and was recalled at the end of 1756. The second royal governor, Henry Ellis, established a sound foundation for government during his four-year administration. James Wright, who replaced Ellis in 1760, proved to be an efficient administrator and a popular governor. During his tenure in office Georgia enjoyed a period of remarkable growth.The Reynolds Administration, 1754-1757In 1752 a committee of Parliament called the Board of Trade acquired the authority to nominate colonial officials. George Montagu-Dunk, Lord Halifax, the board's president, intended Georgia's charter to be a model for other American colonies. The charter provided for a strong governor empowered to convoke an assembly, pass on legislation, propose the erection of courts, approve land grants, enforce the laws, and otherwise administer the province. Other officials included an attorney general, a provost marshal, a clerk of council, a receiver of quitrents, a surveyor, and various customs officials. The legislature consisted of an assembly of two representatives from each county of the colony, which were created as soon as possible. In addition, there would be a council that would act as an upper house, as well as a court of appeals. The Board of Trade nominated the governor and members of the council, subject to the approval of the king.Most Georgians welcomed Governor John Reynolds when he arrived from England on October 29, 1754. However, Reynolds, a career naval officer, lacked the political experience and skills necessary to the establishment of a model government. At the outset he alienated a backcountry faction headed by Edmund Gray, a Quaker planter and an influential Georgia politician, by refusing to inquire into claims of fraud in Georgia's first election in 1754 and by branding the protestors as rebels. Then the governor frustrated the members of his council by awarding the most lucrative colonial offices to William Little, a naval surgeon who accompanied him to Georgia. When the council turned against him, the governor allied himself with his former enemies, the Gray faction, who shared his dislike of the Savannah-dominated council. Reynolds showed an equal lack of skill in Indian diplomacy, a crucial matter because his first year of office coincided with the beginning of the French and Indian War (1754-63). Georgia was dangerously exposed to raids by the Creek and Cherokee nations, and the Louisiana French hoped to instigate such attacks.Lord Halifax reacted to the chorus of complaints from Georgia by recalling Reynolds at the end of 1756 and naming Henry Ellis as his successor.
