Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

October 2

1781 William Wyatt Bibb was born in Amelia County, Virginia. At age 8, his family moved to Elbert County, Georgia. Bibb obtained a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1801. He then returned to Elbert County and set up a medical practice in Petersburg. In 1803, Bibb was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, and two years later to the Georgia Senate. Following the resignation of one of Georgia's congressmen, the General Assembly elected Bibb to fill the vacancy. After serving 6 years in the U.S. House, the General Assembly named him to fill the U.S. Senate seat of William Crawford, who resigned to served as U.S. ambassador to France. In late 1817, President Monroe named Bibb to serve as governor of the Alabama Territory. Two years later, he was elected governor of the new state of Alabama. On July 20, 1820, Bibb died in an accident while riding a horse. At the time of death, he was the most influential politician in Alabama. In December 1820, the Alabama Legislature renamed Cahawba County for Bibb. Two years later, Georgia also recognized Gov. Bibb when the General Assembly created Bibb County from portions of Houston and Jones counties.

1898 A hurricane hit the Georgia coast, doing such damage to the Sapelo Island Lighthouse that it was not operational again until one-hundred years later. Click here for a history of hurricanes that have hit Savannah and the Georgia coast.

1910 James V. Carmichael was born in Cobb County. While in high school, he was critically injured when struck by a passing motorist outside the family store on the old Dixie Highway (present-day Atlanta Road). This forced him to use a cane, crutches, or a wheelchair for the rest of his life. A graduate of Emory Law School, Carmichael was elected in 1935 to the Georgia legislature, where he served two terms. Along with his law partner, Marietta mayor Rip Blair, he played a pivotal role in bringing the Bell Aircraft plant to Marietta. In 1944, Carmichael became general manager of the Marietta branch, supervising a work force of almost 29,000 workers who built 669 B-29 bombers. In 1946 he was a candidate for governor, receiving the largest number of popular votes ever in a Democratic primary to that time, but losing the county-unit vote to Gene Talmadge. From 1947 until his retirement in 1965, Carmichael was president of Scripto, Inc. However, in 1951 he took a leave from Scripto to head up the Georgia Division of Lockheed, which took over the facilities abandoned by Bell Aircraft at the end of World War II. Carmichael stayed as vice president and general manager of the Georgia Division until the end of the Korean War. He was on Lockheed's board of directors from 1952 to 1972. In 1965 Gov. Carl Sanders appointed Carmichael to the Board of Regents of the University System, a position he held until 1972. The student center at Kennesaw State University is named in his memory. Carmichael died on November 28, 1972. [Contributed by Dr. Tom Scott, Kennesaw State University]

1912 Voters of Georgia approved a constitutional amendment creating Bleckley County -- Georgia's 147th county. The constitutional amendment was needed because a 1904 constitutional amendment had set the maximum number of counties in the state at 145. In 1905, the General Assembly created Turner County as Georgia's 145th county. Thereafter, any new counties could only be created by amending the state constitution.

1918 The Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918-19 had now hit Georgia. At Camp Gordon in Augusta, the second day of the outbreak finds 138 soldiers with the deadly flu, ten of whom had already died of pneumonia.

1940 Eugene Talmadge delivered a fiery oration in accepting the nomination for governor at the state Democratic convention in Macon. Talmadge promised support for the national administration, education, and old-age pensions -- all to be done by cutting expenses so as to not raise taxes. In a related move, Talmadge delegates, who dominated the convention, voted to remove then-governor Eurith D. Rivers as Georgia's representative on the Democratic national committee, replacing him with Talmadge's son, Herman.

1976 Joan Mondale, wife of vice-presidential candidate Walter Mondale, joined Rosalynn Carter and other Democratic notables at a fund-raising picnic on the farm of Betty Talmadge, wife of Georgia senator Herman Talmadge. Mrs. Talmadge served a healthy portion of cheese grits to Mrs. Mondale, who had previously said she would "draw the line at eating grits." But Mrs. Mondale forked them down for photographers, then turned to Mrs. Talmadge and said "these are really good." To which Mrs. Talmadge replied "of course they are!"

1984 Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the construction of the Carter Center in Atlanta.

1998 Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkins was inducted into the National Basketball Association Hall of Fame as the winningest coach in NBA history. Previously inducted as a player in 1989, Wilkins joined John Wooden as the only two men in history to be elected to the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach. Wilkins played college ball at Providence College before being drafted by the St. Louis Hawks. After the Hawks moved to Atlanta, Wilkins was traded to Seattle's new expansion team in 1968. There, Wilkins became a player, and then coach, followed by coaching jobs at Portland and Cleveland. In 1993, he became coach of the Atlanta Hawks. In 1996, Wilkins coached the U.S. men's basketball team in its gold-medal victory in the Atlanta Olympic games.

2005 Comedian and actor Nipsey Russell died in New York; has was born in Atlanta in 1924.

Georgia towns and cities incorporated by acts approved on October 2:

1891 Hahira (Lowndes County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1797 Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins kept very detailed records of his activities, as shown by his entry for this day:

"Silas Monk, of Hancock County, about six miles from Fort Wilkinson, states that a dog belonging to Meal Monk, his son, was carried to the Creek nation at the time his son was confined at this fort in the course of the spring. The dog is middle-sized, yellow, with a ring around his neck, a white face, the legs white with yellow specks; his name Venture. His owner holds him in high estimation. He is valuable for tracking deer."

Source: Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, Vol. IX, Letters of Benjamin Hawkins, 1796-1806 (Savannah, Georgia Historical Society, 1916), p. 203.

1864 Col. Fredrick Winkler of the 26th Wisconsin Infantry wrote his wife from occupied Atlanta:

"We get no mail; no trains have gone north from Chattanooga for some time. We get no information as to the actual state of things and have to be contented as best we may. Last night we had a grand concert in Atlanta. . . . It is said that this week is to be distinguished by a ball."

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, 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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