Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

August 16

1798 Mirabeau Lamar was born in Louisville, Georgia. He later emigrated to the new Republic of Texas, where he became its second president. Lamar died in Richmond, Texas on Dec. 19, 1859. [See Dec. 19 entry for biographical information on Lamar.]

1880 Former Georgia governor Herschel Johnson died in Jefferson County, Ga. [See Sep. 18 entry for biographical information on Johnson.]

1882 Georgia politician Benjamin H. Hill died in Atlanta at age 59. Born in Jasper County, Georgia on Sept. 14, 1823, he would serve in both the U.S. and Confederate senates. [See Sept. 14 entry for biographical information on Hill.]

1888 John Pemberton died at his home in Atlanta. Born in Knoxville, Georgia in 1831, Pemberton became a pharmacist in Columbus. During the Atlanta Campaign, he organized Pemberton's Cavalry and served as a captain under Gen. Joe Wheeler until the end of the war. In 1869, he moved to Atlanta, where he eventually started the Pemberton Chemical Company. In 1886, he invented a syrup blend consisting of extracts of coca and kola for use in treating headaches. The next year, fate led a customer asking for the syrup to diluted with carbonated water--and thus was born Coca-Cola.

1913 On the eighteenth day in the trial of Leo Frank, many more female employees of the National Pencil factory were called -- all testifying to Frank's good character and that he had never done anything improper to them. One did say he opened the door to the girls' dressing room once, but the defense claimed this was because some girls were flirting out the window and he wanted to stop it. Residents of the area where the Franks lived testified that he had walked around the neighborhood the evening after the murder, and seemed calm and normal. Finally, on this Saturday afternoon, the defense announced what most of the crowd had been waiting to hear; Leo Frank himself would take the stand on Monday. Click here for a detailed accounting of the case.

1915 A caravan of eight vehicles bearing 25 armed men from the Atlanta area arrived at the Georgia State Prison at Milledgeville around 10 p.m. Cutting the telephone lines, they surprised the guards and entered the barrack of Leo Frank, who two years earlier had been convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Mary Phagan in one of the most infamous trials of the century. The intruders seized Frank and departed into the night. Seven of the cars then took back roads headed for Marietta, while one car acted as a decoy in case of pursuit.

1916 Gov. Nathaniel Harris signed legislation designating the State Prison Commission, the State Geologist, the Dean of Civil Engineering of the State University, and the Professor of Highway Engineering at Georgia Tech as the State Highway Department of Georgia in order to comply with provisions of Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 under which Congress authorized federal aid to states for construction of highways.

1919 Gov. Hugh Dorsey signed an act of the General Assembly creating a state Department of Banking and providing for the examination and regulation of banks in Georgia.

1924 Gov. Clifford Walker signed an act providing that persons sentenced to death die by electrocution rather than hanging. The law further directed the State Prison Commission to immediately build a death chamber with electric chair at the state prison at Milledgeville.

1949 Margaret Mitchell died in Atlanta, five days after being hit by a speeding taxi while crossing the intersection of Peachtree and 13th -- only three blocks from her house. The author of Gone With the Wind was buried two days later in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.

1996 In Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the win over future Braves pitcher Denny Neagle, John Smoltz recorded his 20th win -- establishing a Braves record for winning 20 games so quickly in a season -- and strengthening his claim for the 1996 Cy Young Award. In his first home game, 19-year-old Andruw Jones tripled on his first at-bat, followed by his first Major League homer on his third at-bat. Reliever Mark Wohler got his 30th save -- tying Gene Garber's franchise record.

2005 Coretta Scott King suffered a major stroke.

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on August 16:

1907 Annestown (Gwinnett County), Eleanor (Monroe County), and Norristown (Emanuel County)

1909 Grovania (Houston County), Manchester (Meriwether and Talbot counties), Mitchells District (Pulaski County), Rays Mill (Berrien County), and Swords (Morgan County).

1912 Rex (Clayton County), Sardis (Burke County), and Shingler (Worth County)

1913 Aline (Emanuel County) and Robertstown (White County)

1920 Farrar (Jasper County), Hoboken (Pierce County) and Manassas (Tattnall County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1745 Georgia president William Stephens recorded in his journal the capture of a bungling group of Spanish privateers:

". . . [O]n Thursday last a Brigg came to an Anchor off the Barr of St. Simons, and sent in her Boat with five hands, which proved to be Spaniards, and upon Examination was found, that the Brigg had been taken by the Spaniards off the Capes of Philadelphia, upon which some Boats were sent out who brought her into the Harbour, being laden with Rum, Sugar, and Limes, and they were bound to the Havannah [Cuba] to have her Condemned. But being short of Provisions, they sent in here, taking it to be Augustine; but they found their Mistake too late. . . ."

Source: E. Merton Coulter (ed.), The Journal of William Stephens, 1743-1745 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1959), p. 238.

1864 Col. Fredrick Winkler of the 26th Wisconsin Infantry wrote to his wife about another side of life during the siege of Atlanta:

"A body of rebel cavalry is raiding on our railroad lines, according to last accounts. No trains have come through from Chattanooga since Saturday. They were at Dalton on Sunday and demanded its surrender. To what extent they will succeed in interfering with our communications remains to be seen. I trust the rebels will not capture any of our mails. The monotony of our existence makes it difficult to write letters. I paid out my last fifty cents for five loaves of bread today. Don't you pity my poverty? I would send for money, but it is too risky, and then we can get almost anything on credit, so there is no distress connected with poverty."

Source: Civil War Letters of Major Fredrick C. Winkler, in 26th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers Home Page

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia

If you have a date related to Georgia history or people that ought to be included, or if know of entries that should be corrected, send a note to Ed Jackson or Charles Pou.

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