William Ezzard
William Ezzard | |
|---|---|
| 10thMayor of Atlanta | |
| In office January 1856 – January 1858 | |
| Preceded by | Allison Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Luther Glenn |
| 12thMayor of Atlanta | |
| In office January 1860 – January 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Luther Glenn |
| Succeeded by | Jared Whitaker |
| 17thMayor of Atlanta | |
| In office January 1870 – January 1871 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Husley |
| Succeeded by | Dennis Hammond |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 12, 1799 Abbeville, South Carolina |
| Died | March 24, 1887 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
William E. Ezzard(June 12, 1799 – March 24, 1887) was aSouthern United Statespolitician who served as the 11th, 13th and 19th Mayor ofAtlanta, Georgia,in the 19th century.
Biography
[edit]Ezzard was born inAbbeville, South Carolina.He moved to Georgia and later representedElbert County, Georgia,in theGeorgia Legislature.He was twice elected as a state senator from that district. After a full term as judge of the Coweta circuit, he settled inDecaturin 1822, being one of the first settlers inDeKalb County.He was again sent to the legislature.[1]
In 1826 DeKalb County Academy was founded and the next year, Ezzard, as well as JudgeReuben Coneand nine others, were named as trustees in the incorporation.[2]In 1827, at the age of 28, he was sent to the Georgia state senate from DeKalb County.
He served as Solicitor General of the Cherokee Circuit from December 8, 1832, to December 1835. Then he wasbrigadier generalof the First Brigade, 11th Division, in theGeorgia militia.[3]He resigned in November 1840 and was Judge of the old Coweta Circuit from November 6, 1840, until November 1844. While in that office, he administered the estate ofHardy Ivyand was responsible for subdividing his estate comprising land lot 51.[4]
Ezzard moved to Atlanta in 1850, where he was a law partner to JudgeJohn Collierand operated a dry goods and drug store Smith & Ezzard.[5]He co-founded theAtlanta Bankin 1852 withJohn Mims,Clark Howell, Sr.,Jonathan Norcross,Richard Peters,William Butt,Lemuel Grant,Joseph Winship,N.L. Angier,Joseph Thompsonand other investors.[6]
He served three one-year terms as mayor in 1856, 1857 (this was the first time consecutive terms had been served by any mayor. His term included him visiting Charleston, where Atlanta was named theGate City)[7]) and finally in 1860.
In 1861, he was defeated for a fourth term by Whitaker by the count of 695 votes to 452. He was then a delegate to the Southern Congress, principally in the failed effort to secure theConfederatecapitol at Atlanta. During theAmerican Civil War,he represented Atlanta in theGeorgia General Assemblyhouse from 1863 to 1865, where he offered a bill to raise soldiers pay to $25 per month (which was passed). Coincidentally, one son, John F. Ezzard, died as a soldier at the age 33 in October 1864.
After the war, he continued his law firm withWilliam Hulsey,and Judge Ezzard defeated RepublicanWilliam Markham819 to 762 when he served as mayor for his fourth and last time in 1870. In 1878 he was elected as tax receiver forFulton County.
He made his home on the future site of the Piedmont Hotel on Forsyth Street.[8]In April 1871, Ezzard joined fellow pioneers to found theAtlanta Pioneer and Historic Society,of which he was voted president withJonathan Norcrossas vice president.[9]
He was buried atOakland Cemeteryin the family lot, but the grave was not marked. He is remembered by Ezzard Street in the southern section of theOld Fourth Ward.
Another son,William Lane Ezzard,co-founded theGate City Guardin 1855. He died in 1903.
His granddaughter Catherine (daughter of Ezzard's biracial daughter Sinai Calhoun Webb, born a slave in 1830), marriedAntoine Graves,a prominent black realtor and educator inAtlanta.[10]
References
[edit]- Garrett, Franklin,Atlanta and Its Environs,1954, University of Georgia Press.
- Russell, James M.,Atlanta 1847-1890,1988, LSU Press.
- Smith, Gordon Burns,History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861, Volume One, Campaigns and Generals,Boyd Publishing, 2000.
Notes
[edit]- ^Atlanta Constitution,Oct 05, 1902
- ^Garrett, Vol.I, p.58
- ^Smith, P. 287
- ^Garrett, Vol.I, p.236
- ^Russell, p.43
- ^Garrett, Vol.I, p.346
- ^Russell, p.24
- ^Atlanta Constitution,Apr 12, 1914
- ^Pioneer Citizens' History of Atlanta,1902, p.208
- ^Cathy Kaemmerlen,The historic Oakland Cemetery of Atlanta: speaking stones,p.36
