Lawyer and well-known Georgia politician John Macpherson Berrien died in Savannah. He was born on 23 August 1781 in Princeton, New Jersey. Two years later, his parents moved to Savannah, where at age 18 he began the practice of law. In 1822, Berrien served a term in the Georgia Senate, and in 1824 the General Assembly elected him to serve in the U.S. Senate. In 1829, Berrien resigned to serve as Pres. Andrew Jackson's attorney general. In 1831, he returned to practice law in Savannah, where he helped form the Georgia State Rights party. In 1840, Berrien was reelected to the Georgia Senate, where he served for the next 12 years. Afterwards, he practiced law in Savannah until his death on 1 January 1856. The next month, the General Assembly created a new county and named it in his honor.