John Fontaine (1792–1866) was an American plantation owner and politician. He served as the first mayor of Columbus, Georgia, from 1836 to 1837. He defended Columbus during the Creek War of 1836.
Early life Fontaine was born in 1792.Fontaine family papers , University of Georgia Libraries: Hargrett Rare Books & Manuscript Library
Career Fontaine was a steamboat owner and cotton merchant.Letter, 1836 May 22, Milledgeville, Geo[rgia to] John Fontaine, Columbus, Georgia / William Schley, Governor of Georgia, Digital Library of GeorgiaArtists for Hire in Antebellum Columbus: March 18 - June 24, 2007 , Traditional Fine Arts Association He was also a large plantation owner.Hubert H. McAlexander, 'Francis Fontaine (1945-1901)', in The New Georgia Encyclopedia Companion to Georgia Literature , Hugh Ruppersburg (ed.), John C. Inscoe (ed.), Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2011, pp. 145-146
He served as the first mayor of Columbus, Georgia, from 1836 to 1837.Mayors of Columbus, Georgia John Fontaine, (painting), Smithsonian InstitutionJohn T. Ellisor, The Second Creek War: Interethnic Conflict and Collusion on a Collapsing Frontier, Omaha, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2010, p. 200 He defended the town during the Creek War of 1836, with the help of Governor William Schley. He used Creek informants to spy and report on their planned attacks.
Personal life He married Mary Ann (Stewart) Fontaine (1808–1852). They had six children:
Henrietta Fontaine (1827–1857) Mary Elizabeth Fontaine (1835-unknown) Benjamin Bruton Fontaine (1838–1870) Theophilus Fontaine (1842–1896) Francis Fontaine (1844–1901) George H. Fontaine (1850–1904)
Death Fontaine died in 1866.
Legacy His son, Francis Fontaine, who inherited and managed his plantations, became a newspaper editor, poet and novelist.
His portrait, painted by Edward Ludlow Mooney (1813–1887), can be found at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia.
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