William Yates Atkinson
William Yates Atkinson | |
---|---|
55th Governor of Georgia | |
In office October 27, 1894 – October 29, 1898 | |
Preceded by | William J. Northen |
Succeeded by | Allen D. Candler |
Personal details | |
Born | William Yates Atkinson November 11, 1854 Meriwether County, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | August 8, 1899 Newnan, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 44)
Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse | |
Alma mater | University of Georgia (LL.B.) |
William Yates Atkinson (November 11, 1854 – August 8, 1899), was the
Early life
Atkinson was born in the Oakland community in
in 1880.Political life
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Atkinson began practicing law in
Atkinson won the 1894 election and was elected Governor of Georgia. He was reelected to a second term in 1896.
Atkinson was mentioned by William Henry Holtzclaw, later founder of Utica Institute in Mississippi, as giving him the money he needed to go back to Tuskegee Institute for college - as well as a kindly lecture on the advisability of staying out of politics.[5]
After his two terms as governor, Atkinson bravely confronted the mob in the infamous
Death and legacy
Atkinson died on August 8, 1899, at the age of 44. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan. Atkinson County, Georgia, is named for him.
His son, William Yates Atkinson Jr., was the Georgia Democratic state chair in 1942 as well as a Georgia state Supreme Court justice from 1943 to 1948.
Atkinson Hall, on the campus of
See also
References
- ^ Ham, Henry Wilkes Jones (1887). Representative Georgians. Biographical sketches of men now in public life. Savannah: Morning News Print. p. 191. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
William Yates Atkinson.
- ^ "William Yates Atkinson". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ "Von Gammon". Georgia Info. Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0820340647.
- ^ Holtzclaw, William H. (1915). The Black Man's Burden. New York, The Neale Publishing company. p. 58.
- ISBN 978-1409409083.
- ^ "Atkinson Hall (Georgia College & State University)". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
External links
- Hulett, Keith. "William Y. Atkinson (1854-1899)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. September 25, 2014. Web. June 17, 2016.
- Portrait of William Yates Atkinson
- William Yates Atkinson at Find a Grave
- Picture of Georgia Governor William Yates Atkinson (foreground) with his military staff on horseback at the corner of Peachtree Street and Cain Street (now Andrew Young International Boulevard) in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta History Photograph Collection, Atlanta History Center, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia. Web. June 17, 2016.
- "Governor William Yates Atkinson historical marker". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved June 18, 2016.