Charles Augustus Collier (; July 19, 1848 – September 28, 1900) was an American banker, lawyer, and politician who served as Mayor of

Atlanta, Georgia 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 ...

, from 1897 to 1899.

Early career

Collier was born in 1848 in a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

village that would later be known as Gate City.Mellus, 1900 He was the son of Judge John J. Collier and Henrietta E. Wilson. At the age of 18, he entered into the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

to study law. While there, he joined

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

fraternity. Collier graduated from the

in 1869 with a degree in law and was admitted to the bar in 1871. Shortly after, he left the law profession and went into mercantile pursuits and banking.

Piedmont Exposition

He was elected to the Board of

Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

of Atlanta in 1887 and 1888, similar to the

Atlanta City Council The Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members primarily elected from 12 districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bo ...

today. In 1887, he was also the President of the

Piedmont Exposition The Piedmont Exposition of 1887 was the first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Founding of the Piedmont Exposition Company The Piedmont Exposition Company was founded in June 1887 by a group of men who met in the office ...

which bought of land to form

Piedmont Park Piedmont Park is an urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's ...

and the Gentleman's Driving Club. In just 104 days, Collier and the rest of the Company managed to build the structures and prepare the grounds for the Exposition held at the newly named

. President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

honored Atlanta with a visit to the Exposition with his new bride,

Frances Folsom Frances Clara Cleveland Preston ( née Folsom born as Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was an American socialite, education activist, and the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889, and again from 1893 to 1897 as ...

. Afterwards, Collier was named President of the Cotton States and International Exposition Company charged with planning the 1895

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

which at the time was known as the

Cotton States and International Exposition The Cotton States and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in 1895. The exposition was designed "to foster trade between southern states and South American nations as well as to show the products an ...

. From 1892 to 1896 he was a member of the Fulton County Commission and with

Hoke Smith Michael Hoke Smith (September 2, 1855November 27, 1931) was an American attorney, politician, and newspaper owner who served as United States secretary of the interior (1893–1896), 58th governor of Georgia (1907–1909, 1911), and a United S ...

provided funding for the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

's construction through Georgia.

The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)

Serious preparations for the Exposition began in 1894. On October 16, 1894, Collier and

John Randolph Lewis Brigadier-General John Randolph Lewis (September 22, 1834February 8, 1900)Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

making him the Chief Commissioner of the State of Alabama for the Exposition and charging him with creating an exhibit show casing the talents of African-Americans in Alabama. During the Exposition, Collier named several days of honor. One of these days included

day, where he addressed fellow SAE fraternity brothers in the auditorium.

Mayor

Collier was elected as Mayor of Atlanta for the first time from 1897 to 1898. In 1899, Collier was elected mayor again, ''

pro tem ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...

''. Just a year after leaving office he was accidentally shot and killed while searching for a burglar in his backyard in the early morning of September 28, 1900. He was buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery. His wife, Suzie (died 1897) was the daughter of William A. Rawson. His son John Collier Sr. was commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1933 to 1945 and known for his effort to reform the BIA with the Indian New Deal. His daughter Julia Collier Harris was a writer and journalist who won a 1926

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 ...

, the first to go to a Georgian.

Notes

References

* * *Mellus, Edward (Ed.) (1900)The Record of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. (Vol. XX. No. 1.) Atlanta, Georgia:Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Charles 1848 births 1900 deaths Mayors of Atlanta Atlanta City Council members Fulton County commissioners 19th-century American politicians Accidental deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia alumni 19th-century American lawyers