His companies, and the money they made, impact Georgia to this day. William Clark Bradley was born in 1863 on an Alabama cotton plantation. He moved to Columbus in 1885 to work for a cotton factor. He and his brother-in-law bought the company soon after and in 1888 started the two Columbus banks that in […]
He was Atlanta’s mayor for eight years in the 1960s, and he was the only Southern politician to testify in favor of the Civil Rights Act. Ivan Allen Jr. was born in Atlanta in 1911 and graduated from Georgia Tech before joining his father’s office supply company. Allen served in World War II. Afterwards, he […]
In Gainesville, chickens rule the roost, thanks to a native son who made Gainesville the poultry capital of the world. Jesse Jewell was born in 1902. His father owned a feed and seed store. After studying civil engineering, Jewell went to work in the family business. During the Great Depression, Jewell got into the poultry […]
His was a voice of moderation during one of the South’s most racially divisive periods. Ralph McGill was born in Tennessee in 1898. His sports columns in the Nashville Banner caught the eye of Atlanta Constitution editor Clark Howell, who hired McGill in 1929. By 1941, McGill was the paper’s editor, and over the next […]
Eugene Talmadge ran for Georgia governor five times. He won four. He served three and was, to put it mildly, quite a character. Born near Forsyth in 1884, he was known as the farmer’s champion. “I can carry any county,” he boasted, “that ain’t got street cars.” Talmadge fired elected officials who resisted his authority. […]
In the early morning hours of this day in 1958, 50 sticks of dynamite exploded at the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, Atlanta’s oldest and most prominent synagogue. Though no one was injured, the city’s Jewish population feared the rise of antisemitism reminiscent of the Leo Frank lynching. The temple was the fourth southern synagogue to be […]
He was a high school dropout who would be governor. Born in Atlanta, Lester Maddox worked at the Bell Bomber factory in Marietta during World War II. He opened the Pickrick Restaurant in Atlanta in 1947. It became the focal point of his fierce opposition to integration and civil rights. He famously chased Black patrons […]
Vocabulary – W.C. Bradley Entrepreneur Noun somebody who starts or provides the money to start new commercial companies and businesses Cotton Factor Noun The merchant who sold the cotton for the planters Unrivaled Adjective Has no equal or rival – set apart Vertical Integration Noun the bringing together of companies that are in the chain […]
Vocabulary – Eugene Talmadge Mildly Adjective Gently, not harsh, severe or strong Champion Noun a defender, supporter, or promoter of somebody or something Boasted Verb To talk about your accomplishments without being modest. Resisted Verb Went against, questioned Authority Adjective the right or power to enforce rules or give orders Regents Noun A university official, […]
Vocabulary – Ralph McGill Moderation Noun The state or act of not being extreme or radical, taking a middle-of –the road position Divisive Adjective Causing disagreement or hostility within a group that is likely to split or divide Editor Noun the overall supervisor of content for a book, newspaper, or magazine Die-Hard Adjective Extreme, willing […]
