March 24, 1824

1824 Jurist Richard H. Clark was born in Springfield, Georgia. Clark was admitted to the Georgia bar at age twenty and immediately began practicing law in Albany, Ga. He spent one term in the Georgia Senate, then served in the Democratic party convention of 1857, which was deadlocked in its choice for governor. Clark helped win the nomination Joseph E. Brown, who subsequently served as Georgia’s governor throughout the Civil War. During the war, Clark became a superior court judge in Georgia’s southwestern circuit. So impressive was his legal knowledge that he, Jared Irwin, and T.R.R. Cobb were given the task of codifying Georgia’s body of statutory law. This comprehensive work, the Georgia Code of 1863, was praised by Clark’s contemporaries and reportedly was the first such work of its kind produced in this country. After the war Clark moved to Atlanta, where he became city court judge and then a superior court judge in the Stone Mountain circuit. He died in Atlanta on February 24, 1896.

March 24, 1841

1841 Educator, college president, minister Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally was born at Good Hope, Ga. Entering the University of Georgia at age 14, Nunnally graduated four years later. He became a teacher in Monroe, Ga., and then president of Hamilton College. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the 9th Infantry Regiment of the Georgia State Guards. Nunnally was stationed at Rome for part of the war, but with Lee at his surrender at Appomattox. After the war, Nunnally returned to Monroe to resume teaching, also becoming a farmer, newspaper editor, and -- on Sundays -- a Baptist preacher. He would serve churches in Rome, Newnan, Memphis, and Alabama. In 1883, Nunnally was honored with a D.D. degree from Mercer University and a LL.D. from the University of Georgia. From 1889 to 1893, he served as president of Mercer and of the Southern Female College in LaGrange. Nunnally reestablished the Mercer system of Baptist secondary schools and Georgia’s three Baptist colleges -- Mercer, Shorter, and Tift. He also wrote a number of religious works and was active in many different field before his death on Aug. 14, 1917. [Click here for more biographical information on Nunnally.]

March 24, 1933

1933 In an action to deal with the Depression, Gov. Eugene Talmadge deleted $70,000 in projects from Georgia’s annual state budget and then ordered all state agencies to prepare for a 20-25 % cut in funds for the following year.

March 24, 1933

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on March 24:

1933 North High Shoals (Oconee County)

March 24, 1939

1939 Georgia ratified the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution by a joint resolution of the General Assembly approved on this date.

March 24, 1939

1939 Gov. Eugene Talmadge signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly calling for the removal of the Civil War locomotive "General" -- then in the possession of the city of Chattanooga, Tenn. -- to Kennesaw, Ga. as soon as the city could build a suitable building to house the historic locomotive.

March 24, 1939

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on March 24:

1939 Oakman (Gordon County) and Sugar Hill (Gwinnett County)

March 24, 1941

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved by the governor on March 24:

1941 Garden City (Chatham County) [it replaced the town of Industrial City Gardens, created by superior court order of Feb. 8, 1939]

March 24, 1970

1970 Gov. Lester Maddox signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly [see text] designating the largemouth bass as Georgia’s official state fish.