| James Oglethorpe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Governor |
| Gender | Male |
| Status | Alive |
| Ships | None |
| Relationships | Thomas Hamilton (charge) |
| Appearances | Only appearance: XXXVIII. |
| Portrayed by | Robert Fridjhon |
James Oglethorpe is the governor of the colony of Georgia. He is also the owner of an estate near Savannah, Georgia, where he employs convicts as laborers, treating them far more humanely than any prison would.
Biography[]
Background[]
Oglethorpe was the youngest of ten children born to a politically prominent family in England. He began his military career in the British Army as an ensign after his father purchased him a commission, and he eventually rose to the rank of captain before resigning as his infantry unit was not expected to see action.
Oglethorpe eventually founded the Province of Georgia in the New World, and used convicts from debtor's prisons as colonists, hoping to give them a second chance. He also maintained a fortified estate near Savannah where he kept the troublesome sons of wealthy families under humane guard for a fee.
Season Four[]
Oglethorpe is first mentioned indirectly by Max. After she is captured by the pirates when they retake Nassau, she is captured by Billy Bones before being handed over to John Silver. Silver asks her how she planned on making him disappear instead of killing him. She tells him that when Anne Bonny was in Port Royal, she met a reform-minded man who used convicts as laborers. He would take the convicts from English prisons where they were treated poorly. He also profits from wealthy families who wish to make troublesome relatives disappear. This piques Silver's interest, and he asks if she knows which families made use of him, but she does not know.
Oglethorpe listening to Morgan.
Captain Tom Morgan is sent by Silver to investigate the estate before the Spanish invade Nassau. There, he meets with Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe tells him that there will always be outcasts in society, but justice demands that they be treated well. Morgan replies that his question was not answered, he wants to know about a particular man. Oglethorpe tells him that the men incarcerated on his estate have enemies, and their anonymity is of the utmost importance. Morgan insists that he means no harm and Oglethorpe says he believes him. Morgan asks if Oglethorpe knows where he came from and Oglethorpe replies that he does not. Morgan tells Oglethorpe that he comes from Nassau, at the behest of Long John Silver. Morgan asks if Oglethorpe has heard of him, and Oglethorpe answers that he has, His attitude changes upon hearing mention of Silver's name.
Flint is delivered to the estate at the order of Silver by Israel Hands and Ben Gunn. They leave him with Oglethorpe, who unchains Flint and leads him to the fields. There, he is reunited with Thomas Hamilton, who was long thought to be dead. Oglethorpe watches as the two embrace.
Quotes[]
By James Oglethorpe[]
"What's to be done with the unwanted ones? The men who do not fit, whom civilization must prune from the vine to protect its sense of itself. Every culture since earliest antiquity has survived this way, defining itself by the things it excludes. So long as there is progress, there will always be human debris in its wake, on the outside looking in. And sooner or later, one must answer the question what becomes of them? In London, the solution was to call them criminals, to throw them in a deep, dark hole and hope it never runs over. I would argue that justice demands we do better than that. That a civilization is judged not by who it excludes, but by how it treats the excluded."
- Oglethorpe to Tom Morgan in XXXVIII.
About James Oglethorpe[]
"When Anne was recruiting spies in Port Royal, she met a man with an estate in the wilderness, north of Spanish Florida. A reform-minded man who uses convicts as laborers. Convicts he solicits from prisons in England, where their treatment is far less humane. This man we were told, found it profitable to offer his services to wealthy families, some of the most prominent in London on occasion, with a need to make troublesome family members disappear. Cared for, tended to, but never to be seen again."
- Max to John Silver in XXXII.
Trivia[]
- This character is very clearly based on the real life James Oglethorpe, who became the first Governor of Georgia in 1732 (when the colony was established in real life). He was known for using prisoners, primarily debtors, to settle the area, hoping to give them a new chance at life.
