James Edward Oglethorpe (December 22, 1696 - June 30, 1785) was founder and governor of the colony of Georgia. He started out as a soldier in the Austro-Turkish War, but on his return was elected as MP for Haslemere and was considered a leading humanitarian after he published a pamphlet about the terrible conditions onboard naval vessels.
In 1728, Oglethorpe was the chairman of a prison reform committee. He heard accounts of abuses committed in three different debtor's prisons, and as a result many debtors were released. Oglethorpe saw this as a problem due to them being left with no means of supporting themselves, making them impoverished or turning them to crime. To solve this problem, he and a group of associates founded the colony of Georgia in the New World, later known as America.
In order to gain land for his colony, Oglethorpe peacefully negotiated with the natives to get some of their lands. The colony was established with strict laws against slavery, which Oglethorpe saw as an abomination due to his friendship with Granville Sharp combined with his discovery of an emotional letter written by a slave, however economic pressures forced officials to lift the ban after his departure.
Oglethorpe's plan for Georgia was for British debtors to be shipped there to start a new life. However, very few were due to Oglethorpe being unpopular and the anti-slavery laws being seen as restrictive. Eventually, he had to leave and as previously mentioned slavery was legalised after his departure.
During the War of Jenkins' Ear, Oglethorpe conducted several successful raids against the Spanish. He also had a military command during the Jacobite rebellion, but was court martialled for failing to pursue the enemy soldiers aggressively enough. He was acquitted and later made a general, but was never again put in command of military operations.
Oglethorpe died at Cranham in 1785, remembered as a philanthropist and humanitarian.