Who’s Who in Georgia History Adapted from student work; thanks Caleb!!

Hernando DeSoto 1539 AD He and his men landed at Florida, and went through Georgia searching for gold. His army killed many American Indians. His journey was a failure and he found no gold.

James Oglethorpe 1696 AD Oglethorpe was mad at the current prison conditions in England, and he wanted to settle the new world as a penal colony. Oglethorpe founded Georgia as a blockade from South Carolina. None of the first settlers in the New World were prisoners.

Tomchichi 1733 AD He was the Yamacraw chief who had a close friendship with Oglethorpe. He allowed them to settle his tribe’s land. Mary Musgrove interpreted between the two, and their friendship lasted till the chiefs death. Hello Ya’at’eeh

Mary Musgrove 1733 AD She was an interpreter between the English and the Yamacraw tribe. She was paid around 100 pounds a year, which was a lot during that time. Because of her, Oglethorpe was able to settle on the Yamacraw’s land.

Elijah Clarke 1779 AD He was a military leader who defeated 800 British troops at the Battle of Kettle Creek. Clark took Augusta from the British in 1781. He was saved by an African American named Austin Dabney at the Battle of Kettle Creek.

Austin Dabney 1779 AD He was a slave that took the place of Aycock in the Battle of Kettle Creek. He took a bullet to the thigh for the military leader Elijah Clarke. He was praised as a hero and granted his freedom from the state of Georgia.

Nancy Hart 1771 AD Hart heard British soldiers mocking an American Troop they killed. She got the troops drunk and fed them and when they weren’t paying attention, she stole their guns. She shot one of them and held the others there until backup came.

Button Gwinett Button 1776 AD Gwinett signed the Declaration of Independence. He has a county named after him. He played a large role in the government at this time. He died after having a duel with Lachlan Mcintosh

Lyman Hall 1787 AD One of the Georgian signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of Georgia’s governors. He also played a roll in the Provincial Congress.

George Walton 1733 AD He was one of the three Georgian signers of the Declaration of Independence. He has a county named after him. The county seat is Monroe.

Abraham Baldwin 1787 AD One of GA’s representatives at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and signer of the US Constitution. He has a county named after him. He played a role in organizing the constitution. He was the first president of University of Georgia.

William Few 1787 AD One of GA’s representatives at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and signer of the US Constitution.. He also served in the Provincial Congress and the Georgia Assembly. He played a role in creating Georgia’s new government.

Alexander McGillivray Late 1700s He was a Creek Indian chief on the Oconee River. They burned homes, stole livestock, and killed many settlers. These attacks formed the Oconee War. They could not withstand the advanced weaponry of the settlers. He signed the Treaty of New York.

William McIntosh Late 1700s He was a Creek Indian chief who felt the Creek should sell their land. He signed the Treaty of Indian Springs and was paid $200,000. Many Indians disagreed. Since it was against Creek law to sell Creek land, they killed him.

Sequoyah Late 1760s He was a Cherokee Indian who developed symbols to represent the tribes language, this is known as a syllabary. He went all around the country teaching the Cherokee how to use it. It caught on, and Cherokee newspapers and books arose.

John Ross 1833 As chief, he tried to help the Cherokee and protect their land. He got 15,000 signatures on a petition which he brought to congress. Nothing changed, and he was forced to lead his people through the tragic period of removal that culminated in the Trail of Tears.

Andrew Jackson 1832 Andrew Jackson was one of the US Presidents. He believed removal of Indians would benefit the US. He signed the Indian Removal act which sent them away by force on the Trail of Tears.

John Marshall Mid 1800s He was a Chief Justice in the Supreme Court. He ruled that Lawrenceville could not take their issue to court because the Cherokee were not subject to state law. He set Butler and Worchester free after a huge debate.

Abraham Lincoln Late 1800s He ran for president against Bell, Beckinridge, and Douglas and he won without a vote from Georgia. He tried to free slaves, but the south seceded from the Union and the nation was pushed to war. Eventually, the north won and Lincoln tried to bring the South back in the Union as quickly as possible. Before this happened he was assassinated.

Dred Scott Mid 1800s He was a slave who was brought to a free state, and he claimed he should be free. The issue was brought to the Supreme Court and they ruled he was property and was not free. They also said slaves could not sue.

Henry McNeal Turner Late 1800s Turner was an African American who was elected to the General assembly. He was expelled from the position when they realized the government did not give them the right to hold office. Realizing unjust, this caused quite a stir and kick started the African American civil rights movement.

Henry Grady Mid 1800s He coined the term New South, which meant the South would become industrialized like the North. This brought new jobs to Georgia. He was also a creative journalist for the Atlanta Constitution. He established Georgia Tech and later died of pneumonia.

Tom Watson Mid 1800s Watson formed the Populist party from labor organizations and the Farmer’s Alliance. They wanted to use an Australian Ballot and make reforms for the people. He was also elected to the General Assembly.

Rebecca Latimer Felton Early 1800s She was a reformer who helped end the rule of the Bourbons. She spoke for many causes including prohibition, better prison conditions, and women's rights. All in all, she was one of the most influential women during this time period.

Leo Frank 1880s Leo Frank was a white Jew convicted of murder. An African American called in the murder, and although it was never proven that he killed Mary Phagan, it was assumed because he was Jewish. This led to a new innocent until proven guilty court system.

Booker T. Washington 1800s Washington was a black civil rights supporter who attempted to convince the government to give blacks their voting rights. He was opposed by DuBois, and the two had different opinions. He belived all blacks should receive education, unlike Dubois.

W.E.B. DuBois Late 1800s Dubois opposed Washington’s point of view and believed change should happen immediantly. He believed in the talented tenth, where only the top 10% of African Americans would get education. His ideas were frowned upon by many. Only 10%

John and Lugenia Burns Hope Late 1800s John was a half black half white civil rights leader. Lugenia was a civic leader and wanted to improve conditions in African American neighborhoods. They were both inspirational people that helped African Americans finally get their rights.

Alonzo Herndon Late 1800s Herndon purchased the Atlanta Mutual Insurance company and turned it into a huge business that is still open today. It is one of the largest African American run companies. It is now worth billions.

Eugene Talmadge 1930s Eugene Talmadge was the governor of Georgia in the 1930s. He is best known for “campaigning on the stump” after carrying around a stump to his speeches and standing on it. He was a White Supremist and did not like federal government intervention.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1930s He was elected president after Hoover and proposed the New Deal to help America get back on its feet. The New Deal created programs with acronyms, and was nicknamed alphabet soup. He paved the way for recovery and in the end, we succeeded.

Richard Russell 1930s He took the role of Georgia’s governor in the 1930s before Talmadge. In his term he combined state offices into agencies, formed the Board of Regents, and tan the state like a successful business. This method caused the problems brought by the Great Depression to be lessened in Georgia.

Carl Vinson 1914-1965 Vinson served 25 consecutive terms as the Georgia’s representative in the US House of Representatives. He worked on growing the land, sea, and air forces of the US. He was rewarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in his lifetime.

William B. Hartsfield 1930-1960 Hartsfield served as the Mayor of Atlanta for six terms. He worked on making Atlanta into the “Aviation Hub of the southeast”. He opened a biracial coalition and they all worked on voter registration drives. He is best known for hiring African Americans to kick start the civil rights movement.

Ivan Allen Jr. 1960s Allen was elected mayor and as a shocking surprise, he immediately removed all signs that showed segregation. He removed restrictions involving African Americans and the police force, fire department, and city government. He was able to minimize racial relations in his term.

Ellis Arnall 1940s Arnall was a Georgia governor, and during the three governor episode, there was a group that broke in locked his office so he couldn’t go to work that day. He set up a temporary office at the Capital Rotunda. After this event, he resigned from the role of governor.

Herman Talmadge 1940s Herman was the son of Eugene Talmadge and after his father was old and sick, he won the position of governor in a write in vote scandal. He was governor for a short amount of time, then wasn’t, then was again. Looks like Georgia needed some index cards and a crown . In his term he fixed the state highway department and wrote a new state constitution.

Benjamin Mays 1960s Mays was and African American leader. He became a member of the city’s BoE. At this time African Americans were taking a role in the government and 4 governors in a row were all African Americans. He set a great example for others to follow.

Martin Luther King Jr. 1960s He was a African American civil rights leader who made himself be heard. He spoke with words, not actions and he had a dream that America could be at peace with Whites and Blacks. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and was assassinated in 1968.

Hamilton Holmes Late 1900s He, along with Charlayne, were escorted into a whites only school. He was installed in Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated there. He was and Orthopedic Surgeon. He worked closely with Charlayne Hunter Gault. They worked on integrating schools to those of all races. He died in Atlanta in 1995.

Charlayne Hunter Late 1990s Hunter was a nationally known reporter. She was escorted into a white school along with Hamilton Holmes. They were both African American and worked for unsegregated schools nationwide.

Maynard Jackson Late 1900s He was Atlantis's first African American governor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Morehouse College. He was called the “Ultimate Mayor”. He managed police brutality and expanded MARTA. He died in 2003 and the Atlanta airport is now named after him.

Lester Maddox 1960s He was a segregationist who became Georgia’s governor in 1967. He beat Ellis Arnall in the election. Although Callaway, a write in candidate, had more votes, Democrats won thus Maddox was elected. He appointed African Americans to roles in the government and after his term ended, he became Lieutenant Governor.

Andrew Young 1960s He was an African American mayor of Atlanta. He was earlier selected to be the ambassador for the United Nations. He is still alive today and is a professor at Georgia State University.

Jimmy Carter 1960s-1980s He was the first president of the United States from Georgia. He was previously the governor, and he was an unlikely candidate for president. He made many reforms including the National Energy Policy, civil service, expanded national parks, and supported trucking industries. After being president, he returned to Georgia and opened the Carter Center. I believe he was one of the best presidents our country had.