George Walton George Walton ( 1749 – February 2 , 1804 ) signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia and also served as the second Chief Executive of that state . Life and work . George Walton was born in Virginia . His parents died when he was an infant , resulting in his adoption by an uncle with whom he entered apprenticeship as a carpenter . Walton was a studious young man , but his uncle actively discouraged all study , believing a studious boy to be an idle one . Walton continued studying and once his apprenticeship ended , he moved to Savannah , Georgia , in 1769 to study law under a Mr . Young , and was admitted to the bar in 1774 . His brother was John Walton . He became an advocate of the patriot , cause and was elected Secretary of the Georgia provincial Congress , and became president of the Council of Safety . He was elected to the Continental Congress , a position he held until the end of 1778 . He was commissioned a Colonel of the First Regiment of the Georgia Militia . He was put in the battalion of General Robert Howe . During the Battle of Savannah , Walton was involved in the defense of the city . However a slave showed the British , led by Colonel Campbell , a path to the rear of the city , by which they were able to take the city , attacking from the front and the rear . Walton was injured in the battle and taken prisoner . He was freed through a prisoner exchange in 1779 . Soon after this in October 1779 , Walton was elected Governor of Georgia , a position he held for only two months . In November 1795 , he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Jackson . Walton only served in that position from November 16 , 1795 , to February 20 , 1796 , until a successor , Josiah Tattnall , was officially elected . He was a political ally of Scotch - Irish General Lachlan McIntosh and a foe of Button Gwinnett . He and Gwinnett ' s political battles resulted in his expulsion from office and indictment for various criminal activities . He was censured for his role in a duel which resulted in Button Gwinnett ' s death . He became Chief Justice of Georgia , 1783 – 89 , Governor of Georgia in 1789 , and U . S . Senator in 1795 . Walton also was colonel in the army and when he was riding his horse a cannonball was fired and it hit him in the leg . With a broken leg Walton was held captive for the British army for two years . He was exchanged for a British naval officer and released , despite his having been a signer of the Declaration , which , technically , made him a traitor to the British crown . Offices held . The offices he held were : Death . He died in Augusta , Georgia on February 2 , 1804 , at his home , " College Hill " , near Augusta . He was initially buried at Rosney , home of his nephew Robert Watkins ; however , he was re interred in 1848 beneath the Signers Monument in front of the courthouse on Greene Street in Augusta . Legacy . Walton County , which is about 30 miles east of the city of Atlanta , is named for him . There are also at least two schools that bear his name . George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta , Georgia and George Walton Academy , a private school in Monroe , Georgia . His granddaughter , Octavia Le Vert , was a noted socialite and author .