September 21, 1757

1757 Georgia politician James Jackson was born in Moreton-Hampstead in Devonshire County, England. In 1772, his parents sent him to Savannah, where he lived with John Wereat while reading law. Jackson became a Whig and served in the Georgia militia during the American Revolution. After the war, he practiced law while continuing militia service, ultimately rising to the rank of major general in 1792. Jackson had extensive political experience, serving in the Georgia General Assembly during the 1780s and 1790s, in the U.S. House of Representatives (1789-1791), as governor (1798-1801), and in the U.S. Senate (1793-95 and 1801-06). After the Yazoo Land scandal, Jackson resigned from the Senate to return to Georgia to fight for repeal of the legislation and defeat of those who had supported it. Based on his efforts, the General Assembly named a new county in his honor in Feb. 1796. Reelected to the Senate, Jackson helped negotiate an agreement whereby Georgia ceded its western territories to the U.S. in return for a payment of $1,250,000 and the national government’s agreement to extinguish all Indian claims to land within Georgia. Jackson died in Washington D.C. on March 19, 1806.

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September 21, 1863

1863 The Union’s Army of the Cumberland retreated northward to Chattanooga after its defeat at Chickamauga on September 20.

September 21, 1863

1863 Newspaper reporter, editor, and politician Clark Howell was born in Barnwell County, South Carolina. Graduating from the University of Georgia in 1883, Howell became night editor of the Atlanta Constitution at age 21. Here he was influenced by his father Evan Clark (who was half-owner and chief editor of the Constitution) and managing editor Henry Grady. In 1885, Howell was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he served as Speaker of the House (1890-91). After Henry Grady’s death in 1889, the younger Howell was made Constitution managing editor. Both father and son used the newspaper’s editorial pages to promote a "New South"--which included opposition to political and social evils of the day. In 1897, Evan Howell retired, and Clark Howell became chief editor. Four years later, he purchased controlling interest in the Constitution. While running the newspaper, Howell also served in the Georgia Senate (1900-06) and lost a bid for governor in 1907. In terms of national politics, Howell became a good friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt and an early supporter of his bid for the presidency. After Roosevelt’s election, Howell was appointed to several federal commissions. Howell died in Atlanta on Nov. 14, 1936.

September 21, 1887

Georgia cities and towns incorporated by acts approved on Sept. 21: 1887 Kennesaw (Cobb County)

September 21, 1903

1903 Educator William Tate was born in Calhoun, Georgia. At the University of Georgia, he graduated with a B.A. in 1924. He continued as an English instructor until 1929, in the process obtaining a M.A. in 1927. Afterwards, Tate became head of the English department at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, while continuing graduate work in the summers at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. In 1936, Tate accepted the position of dean of freshmen and assistant professor of English at the University of Georgia. In 1946, he was promoted to dean of men, a post he held at the university until his retirement in 1971. Widely known throughout the state, Dean Tate was admired and respected for both his firmness and fairness. One of his most important legacies came in 1961 during efforts to integrate the University of Georgia, when he was able to keep a potentially violent student protest from turning into a riot. Tate died in Athens on his birthday in 1981.

September 21, 1929

1929 Former Georgia Governor Nathaniel Harris died in Macon, Ga. [See Jan. 21 entry for biographical information on Harris.]

September 21, 1944

1944 Political advisor Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Grandson on Hamilton McWhorter, Sr. of Oglethorpe County, he graduated from the University of Georgia in 1967. Jordan managed Jimmy Carter’s campaign for governor in 1970, subsequently serving as his executive secretary until April 1973. Jordan also managed Carter’s campaign for the presidency in 1976 and served as a key advisor. Jordan was President Carter’s chief of staff from 1979 to 1980. In 1985, Jordan was diagnosed with histiocytic lymphoma, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After aggressive chemotherapy treatment, the cancer went into remission. In 1986, Jordan unsuccessfully ran in Georgia for the U.S. Senate. In 1992, he briefly managed Ross Perot’s presidential campaign. Later, he developed prostate cancer but successfully battled that as well.

September 21, 1976

1976 The Atlanta Airport was renamed Hartsfield International Airport .

September 21, 1977

1977 Bert Lance, personal friend and political advisor to Pres. Jimmy Carter, resigned as director of the Office of Management and Budget after allegations of serious financial wrong-doings.

September 21, 1989

1989 General Colin Powell, commander in chief of the Army Forces Command headquartered at Atlanta’s Fort McPherson, was named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

September 21, 1996

1996 The Georgia Music Hall of Fame opened in Macon. On hand were such personalties as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Richard, Travis Tritt, REM, the B 52s, and the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

September 21, 1996

1996 One day before his 87th birthday, Georgia artist Lamar Dodd died in Athens, Georgia. (See September 22 entry.)