Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

August 7

1742 Nathanael Greene, a hero of the American Revolution, was born in Rhode Island on this day. In recognition of his defense of the southern states, the Georgia General Assembly awarded him a grant of land near Savannah after the war. Unfortunately, he died of heat exhaustion in 1786. His widow, Catherine Greene, subsequently hired a tutor for her children. That tutor was Eli Whitney, who in 1793 invented the cotton gin.

1790 A delegation of Creek head men led by Alexander McGillivray met with U.S. Secretary of War Henry Knox in New York and signed the Treaty of New York formally ceding the land between the Oconee and Ogeechee rivers to Georgia.

1906 The Georgia General Assembly approved a joint resolution calling on Congress to create a National Military Park encompassing the areas of the Battle of Peachtree Creek (July 20, 1864), the Battle of Atlanta (July 22, 1864), and the Battle of Ezra Church (July 28, 1864). The resolution further called for a series of boulevards connecting the three battlefields.

1913 In the tenth day of the Leo Frank trial, railroad carptenter C.B. Dalton testified he had met with several women in the basement of the National Pencil Factory while Jim Conley watched out for him, and that he had seen numerous women come to the factory to visit Frank. After stating that the financial records of the National Pencil Factory showed there was $200 (the amount Jim Conley said Frank had showed him) on the premises the day of the murder, solicitor Hugh Dorsey rested the state's case. The defense called Dr. Roy Childs, who disputed the testimony of Dr. Roy Harris -- saying cabbage was a very slow food to digest, implying that the murder could have been committed hours after Phagan had eaten. Pinkerton detective Harry Scott was recalled to the stand to testify on how Jim Conley had lied several times to investigators during the course of the murder investigation. Click here for a detailed accounting of the case.

1916 Gov. Nathaniel Harris signed an act regulating the practice of optometry in Georgia. In addition to imposing various qualifications and educational requirements, the legislation created a state board to oversee the examining and licensing of optometrists.

1920 Gov. Hugh Dorsey signed a proposed constitutional amendment to create Lanier County (named for Georgia poet Sidney Lanier) from portions of Berrien, Clinch, and Lowndes counties. Because the maximum number of counties allowed by the state constitution -- 145 -- had already been exceeded, creation of any additional counties required a constitutional amendment. On Nov. 2, 1920, state voters approved the amendment making Lanier Georgia's 157th county.

1927 Two-term governor George Busbee was born in Vienna, Georgia. Elected as state representative from Dougherty County in 1957, he served in the House for 18 years. He was elected governor in Nov. 1974, taking office in January 1975. At the time, Georgia's constitution prohibited the governor from serving consecutive terms, but a constitutional amendment to allow a second term was approved by the voters in 1976. Busbee's tenure is remembered for his efforts to run state government as a business, attracting out-of-state and international business and investments to Georgia, promising not to raise taxes, and promoting a new state constitution. During his administration, an editorial revision was made in the Constitution of 1945 and ratified by voters as the Constitution of 1976. Also, Busbee appointed a blue-ribbon commission to make substantive constitutional change. The results of that commission were sent to the General Assembly, which made a few changes and then sent the document to the voters for approval in the November 1982 general election. Thus, the Constitution of 1983--which, as amended, serves as our current state constitution, became George Busbee's most lasting legacy.

1940 The Atlanta branch of the NAACP and the Atlanta Baptist Ministers Union began a two-day campaign in opposition to a proposed city bond issue because it would allocate inadequate funding for black schools.

1945 Georgia voters ratified a new state constitution for Georgia. A special constitutional commission had met during 1943 and 1944 and drafted a new constitution. Their proposal went to the 1945 General Assembly, which made some changes in the commission's version and then authorized a statewide vote on ratification. Voters approved the new Constitution of 1945.

1956 Shelby Buck, Clint Castleberry, Joe Jenkins, Vernon (Catfish) Smith, Claude (Gabe) Tolbert, and John Varnedoe were inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

1957 Born in 1892 in Harlem, Georgia, Oliver Hardy--the rotund half of the Laurel and Hardy duo--died on this day in North Hollywood California. During his film career (1913-1950), Hardy appeared in 190 movies.

1958 The caravan of seven covered wagons from Dahlonega pulled out of Piedmont Park at 9 a.m. headed for Georgia's state capitol. Arriving an hour later, two women from the wagon train carried carried a chest originally owned by William Few up the steps of the capitol [see photo]. In the chest were 43 ounces of gold nuggets and dust. In ceremonies outside the capitol, they presented the chest of gold to Gov. Marvin Griffin [see photo]. Subsequently, the nuggets and dust were milled into thin gold leaf to cover the state capitol dome.

1972 After firing Atlanta Braves manager Luman Harris, team officials named for Braves third baseman and Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as skipper of the struggling franchise. Mathews would lead the Braves for two years, though the team would continue to lose more games than it won.

2007 Barry Bonds broke the major league baseball home run record, previously held for over 33 years by former Atlanta Brave Hank Aaron. Bonds hit his career home run number 756 in San Francisco, as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Aaron appeared on the video screen in the outfield, in a taped message congratulating Bonds.

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved on Aug. 7:

1905 Dacula (Gwinnett County)

1912 Bonaire (Houston County) and Plainfield (Dodge County)

1919 White (Bartow County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1734 In London, the Earl of Egmont wrote of the visiting Yamacraw Indians:

"Mr. Verelts acquainted me that the King Toma-Chiki [sic] and the rest of the Indians was very well satisfied with their audience at Court, but were much afflicted with the death of their comrade, who was a cousin of the King's On that occasion they sat up all night, crying and bewailing his loss. Toma-Chiki told Mr. Verelts, our accountant, that his relation was gone to God, that he would see us no more, but he should see him, and believed he should be the first; that all he desired was that one of the company here might live to carry back our King's answer to his countrymen. Mr. Verelts asked him how he was pleased and what he observed at Court, to which he replied that they carried him through a great many houses (he meant rooms) to make him believe the King's Palace consisted of many, but he was much surprised to find he returned by the same stairs he went up, by which he found it was still one house. He added that he found we knew a great many more things than they, but he doubted if we were happier, since we are worse livers than they, and they more innocent.

"The Queen called for the boy [Toonahowi], his nephew, after the audience she gave them all was over, stroked his face, and told him he much come again to see her, for she had a present for him. He answered in English, and is forward in his learning. Mr. Smith, of our Society [for Promotion of Christian Knowledge], coming three times a week to instruct him in the principles of Christianity. He can say the Lord's Prayer, Belief, and Ten Commandments, but I fear all this will be lost at his return. They went on Friday last to Mr. Oglethorp's [Westbrook Manor] in Surrey to dissipate their sorrow for the death of their friend, and returned this night. . . ."

Source: Historical Manuscripts Commission [U.K.], Manuscripts of the Earl of Egmont. Diary of the First Earl of Egmont (Viscount Percival) (London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1923), Vol. II, p. 119-120.

1737 The Earl of Egmont recorded in his journal of Trustee proceedings of James Oglethorpe's meeting with Sir Robert Walpole, who was now wavering in his support for giving Oglethorpe a regiment of British soldiers to defend Georgia:

"Mr. Oglethorpe had this day very warm words with Sr. Robt. Walpole concerning the 2d Memorial of Giraldini [Spain's agent in London], which So terrify'd Sr. Robert by apprehensions of the Spaniards falling out with England in case any forces Should be Sent under Oglethorpe to Georgia, as the Memorial threaten'd, that Sr. Robert proposed to him to drop the design of Sending him over with a Regiment and accept of a Regiment in England in lieu thereof. At this Mr. Oglethorpe fired, & ask'd him what man he took him to be? And whether he thought he had no conscience to be the Instrument of carrying over 3000 Souls to Georgia, and then abandoning them to be destroyed by the Spaniards for the Sake of a Regiment? He also desired to know whether Georgia was to be given up yea or nay? If So it would be just and Kind to let the Trustees Know it at once, that they might immediately write to the Inhabitants to retire, and Save themselves in time. Sr. Robert reply'd he did not See the necessity of that."

Source: Robert G. McPherson (ed.), The Journal of The Earl of Egmont: Abstract of the Trustees Proceedings for Establishing the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1738 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1962), pp. 296-297.

1775 Gov. John Wright again wrote to Lord Dartmouth, British secretary of state for the colonies, of the breakdown of royal authority in Georgia:

"It gives me great concern that every letter I now write to Your Lordship is to give you accounts of the very illegal, insolent and dangerous transactions of the Liberty People here. On the 2nd instant a complaint was made to the Chief Justice against Ebenezer McCarty, Florence Mahoney and William Davis. . . . McCarty had been enlisting men in this town for one of the Carolina regiments. On a warrant being issued and the parties being apprehended, the said McCarty was by the Chief Justice committed to jail as not bailable. On the 3rd instant a great number of people assembled together and went to the jail and forced it open and took out the said McCarty, who was immediately set at large. On the 5th instant he went through the town with a drum beating up for men and passed close to the Chief Justice's door, also came very near my house. Unparalleled insolence, My Lord! And this is the situation His Majesty's government is reduced to in the province of Georgia.

"I omitted to mention before that they took possession of the public magazine to put the gunpowder in and appointed a guard to protect it, an officer who they call Captain, and, I am told, twenty men, and who still continue to guard it day and night.

"Throughout the province every method has been used to compel the people to sign the Association. Those who decline they threaten to proscribe, and for fear of that and losing their property or having it destroyed, great numbers have been intimated to sign, and I suppose by far the greater part of the province have signed it. Indeed it is said there are few in the county who have not."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), Georgia: History written by Those who lived It (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1995), p. 34.

1864 From Atlanta, Samuel P. Richards wrote in his diary:

"We have been to church this morning for the first time in three weeks. Rev. Atticus Haygood preached to us in the Methodist church. Our cruel foe has the grace to cease from shelling us on the Sabbath, at least he has not done so yet. Last Wednesday night the horrid missiles of destruction whizzed past our house and discomposed us considerably. Heretofore they had fallen short, but now we cannot tell at what moment they may strike us. A gentleman and his little girl, ten years of age, were both killed in bed by the same shell last week, and several others have lost their lives. . . ."

Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1954), p. 630.

1869 From Richmond County, Gertrude Thomas witnessed a natural spectacle on this day:

"An eclipse of the sun is taking place! That announcement is important enough to give it a line for itself especially as astronomers tell us that a similar event will not take place in one hundred years...Turner came into the room, 'Oh Ma' said he 'come out and see the eclipse, hurry. Where is a piece of glass to smoke?' I left my work and went into the back yard where I found all the servants wondering and exclaiming. The surface of the sun was dark...a few moments after it was the distinct appearance of a new moon and gradually the moon grew larger and larger at one time having a halo of yellow and at another time of blue immediately around it. . . . I came in and commenced to write but could not see the lines very distinctly. I went out into the Piazzi again and was struck by the peculiar light like sulphur thrown over everything. . . ."

Source: Virginia Ingraham Burr (ed.), The Secret Eye: The Journal of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas, 1848-1889 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990), p. 322.

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia

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