July 8, 1721

1721 Tomochichi was one of several Creek chiefs that gathered at Charles Town to sign a treaty -- "Articles of Friendship and Commerce Agreement" -- with South Carolina governor Robert Johnson.

July 8, 1864

1864 The 23rd Corps under Maj. Gen. Schofield became the first unit of Sherman’s forces to cross the Chattahoochee River. Their crossing took place at a point between Powers Ferry and Johnston’s Ferry, and caught the Confederates by surprise.

July 8, 1920

1920 Gov. Hugh Dorsey signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly proposing a constitutional amendment to create Seminole County. [The amendments were necessary because of a constitutional limit of 145 counties, meaning any additional counties had to be authorized through constitutional amendment.] The new county was created from portions of Decatur and Early counties and was named for the Seminole Indians who had once occupied this territory. On Nov. 2, 1920, Georgia voters ratified the amendment making Seminole Georgia’s 156th county.

July 8, 1942

1942 Future Texas U.S. Senator Phil Gramm was born in Columbus, Georgia. Son of an Army sergeant stationed at Fort Benning, Gramm attended the University of Georgia, where he obtained a Ph.D. in economics in 1967. Thereafter, he accepted a position at Texas A&M University. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he co-authored the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings balanced budget bill. In 1984, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. In Feb. 1995, Gramm mounted a presidential campaign to be the Republican Party’s candidate in 1996, but on Feb. 14, 1996, he pulled out of the race in favor of Sen. Bob Dole. Incidentally, Gramm’s presidential bid makes him at least the seventh person with some tie to Georgia (e.g., born, lived, educated) prior to mounting a serious campaign for the presidency. Can you name the other six?