The Atlanta graft ring was a corruption scandal that erupted in 1930 which generated 26 indictments and earned a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

for the

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...

newspaper.

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

had prided itself for a relatively corruption-free government throughout its history, but this changed in the 1920s. On November 18, 1929, Fourth Ward

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

Ben T. Huiet told the city council he had heard that payment of $3,500 was asked for in order to approve electrical wiring that had been installed in the new

Atlanta City Hall Atlanta City Hall is the headquarters of the City of Atlanta government. It was constructed in 1930, and is located in Downtown Atlanta. It is a high-rise office tower very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the United States durin ...

, then under construction. Soon after, Atlanta Constitution president

Clark Howell Clark Howell (September 21, 1863 – November 14, 1936) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American newspaper man and politician from the state of Georgia. For fifty-three years, he was editorial executive and owner of ''The Atlanta Constitution ...

, wrote a ringing editorial demanding the

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

grand jury to investigate. Foreman Thomas Lyon and Solicitor General John A. Boykin began the lengthy investigation during which, more than a thousand witnesses were called to look into the Mayor I.N. Ragsdale's administration and city council. Twenty-six indictments were made, of which fifteen were guilty and seven of those received prison sentences, including councilman Harry York. The press coverage earned Howell and the Atlanta Constitution the

1931 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1931. Journalism awards *Public Service: **''The Atlanta Constitution'', for a successful municipal graft exposure and consequent convictions. * Reporting: ** A. B. MacDonald of ''The Kansas City Star'', ...

for Journalism in the

Public Service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

category for "a successful municipal graft exposure and subsequent convictions." Solicitor General Boykin went on to break up Atlanta's

numbers game The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a be ...

operation in 1936.

References

Further reading