Important People in Georgia History

Flashcards of key figures in Georgia history, covering their roles and significance.

Hernando DeSoto

First Spanish explorer to set foot in Georgia.

Tomochichi

Chief of the Yamacraw Indians; allowed Georgia colonists to build Savannah.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of the Georgia Colony.

Mary Musgrove

Interpreter between James Oglethorpe and Chief Tomochichi.

King George II

King of Great Britain who granted the Charter of 1732, establishing the Georgia Colony.

John Reynolds

Georgia’s first colonial royal governor; introduced self-government.

Henry Ellis

Georgia’s second colonial royal governor; oversaw economic and population growth.

James Wright

Georgia’s third colonial royal governor; strengthened the colony's defense.

Elijah Clarke

Commander of the Georgia militia at the Battle of Kettle Creek.

Austin Dabney

Black soldier wounded at Kettle Creek; awarded land for his service.

Nancy Hart

Revolutionary War Heroine; only county in GA named after a woman.

George Washington

Leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Casimir Pulaski

Polish nobleman who aided the Patriots; died at the Siege of Savannah.

Thomas Jefferson

Main author of the Declaration of Independence; first U.S. Secretary of State, second U.S. Vice-President, third U.S. President.

Button Gwinnett

Georgia’s signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Lyman Hall

Georgia’s signer of the Declaration of Independence.

George Walton

Georgia’s signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Abraham Baldwin

A Georgia signer of the United States Constitution.

William Few

A Georgia signer of the United States Constitution.

William McIntosh

Creek Chief who signed the Treaty of Indian Springs giving Creek lands to the U.S.; killed for it.

Sequoyah

Created the Cherokee syllabary, a written language.

John Ross

Cherokee Chief who appealed to Washington for treaty honor and to prevent removal.

Andrew Jackson

U.S. President who signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

John Marshall

Chief Justice who ruled in favor of the Cherokee in Worcester v. Georgia.

Eli Whitney

Invented the cotton gin, increasing slavery.

Alexander Stephens

Georgia Congressman, VP of the Confederacy.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America.

William T. Sherman

Union General famous for his March to the Sea.

Robert E. Lee

Confederate General during the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant

Union General; created total war campaign.

Abraham Lincoln

President whose election led to secession; issued Emancipation Proclamation.

Henry Wirz

Commander of Andersonville Prison; executed for mistreatment of prisoners.

Andrew Johnson

U.S. President during Reconstruction; impeached by Congress.

Henry McNeal Turner

Early African American elected to GA General Assembly, later expelled.

John Gordon

Bourbon Triumvirate member; State Senator, U.S. Senator and Governor.

Alfred Colquitt

Bourbon Triumvirate member; State Senator, U.S. Senator and Governor.

Joseph Brown

Bourbon Triumvirate member; Lawyer, State Senator, Judge, Governor, Chief Justice, and U.S. Senator

Henry Grady

Journalist who promoted the 'New South' through the Atlanta Constitution.

Tom Watson

Georgia Populist leader; introduced Rural Free Delivery but became a white supremacist.

Rebecca Latimer Felton

Suffragist, temperance leader, and first woman U.S. Senator.

Leo Frank

Jewish man lynched after being accused of murder; Case led to the rebirth of KKK in GA

Homer Plessy

Challenged segregation laws; Plessy v. Ferguson established 'separate but equal'.

Booker T. Washington

President of Tuskegee Institute; advocated for economic independence for African Americans.

W.E.B. DuBois

Opposed Washington; advocated for social/political integration and higher education.

Alonzo Herndon

Wealthiest African American in Atlanta; founder of Atlanta Life Insurance.

Eugene Talmadge

Governor of GA, opposed the New Deal, white supremacist.

Richard Russell

GA Governor and U.S. Senator; brought military bases to GA; 'father of the school lunch program'.

Carl Vinson

U.S. Representative for 50 years; advocate for the military.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President who started the New Deal; often visited Warm Springs, GA for polio treatment.

William B. Hartsfield

Longest-serving Atlanta mayor; 'Father of Atlanta Aviation'.

Ivan Allen Jr.

Atlanta mayor who desegregated public facilities and brought major sports teams to Atlanta.

Ellis Arnall

GA Governor who served a 4-year term.

Melvin Thompson

Lieutenant Governor involved in the Three Governors Episode.

Herman Talmadge

Governor and U.S. Senator; involved in the Three Governors Episode.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil Rights Leader, non-violent approach to social change.

John Lewis

Civil Rights leader, SNCC chairman, U.S. Representative.

Maynard Jackson

First African American Mayor of Atlanta; expanded Hartsfield Airport, started MARTA.

Lester Maddox

Governor known as the 'axe handle governor'; appointed African Americans to state offices.

Andrew Young

Aide to MLK, U.N. Ambassador and Mayor of Atlanta.

Jimmy Carter

From Plains, GA - GA Senator, Governor, and U.S. President.