Habersham, Joseph, 1751-1815

Joseph Habersham (July 28, 1751 – November 17, 1815) was an American businessman, Georgia politician, soldier in the Continental Army, and Postmaster General of the United States.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, he attended preparatory schools and Princeton College and became successful merchant and planter. Habersham was a member of the council of safety and the Georgia Provincial Council in 1775 and a major of a battalion of Georgia militiamen and subsequently a colonel in the 1st Georgia Regiment of the Continental Army. He had to resign from the army after he served as Lachlan McIntosh's second in the controversial duel that killed Button Gwinnett. Habersham served as Speaker of the Georgia House in 1782 and again in 1785 and was a member of the Georgia convention in 1788 that ratified the U.S. Constitution. Some older references state that Joseph was a delegate to the Confederation Congress in 1785, but this may stem from confusion with his brother John, who was a delegate at that time.

Habersham served as mayor of Savannah from 1792 to 1793 and then was appointed Postmaster General by President George Washington in 1795 and served until the beginning of Thomas Jefferson's administration in 1801. He served as president of the branch bank of the United States at Savannah from 1802 until his death in Savannah. He is buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery.