James G. Woodward (January 14, 1845August 29, 1923) was an American newspaperman and politician, having served as the 36th, 39th and 43rd Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. Woodward made his living as printer through the newsrooms of the '' Atlanta Journal'' and ''Constitution'' over the years. He was elected mayor in 1899 and 1904. Following the

Atlanta race riot Violent attacks by armed mobs of White Americans against African Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, began on the evening of September 22, 1906, and lasted through September 24, 1906. The events were reported by newspapers around the world, includi ...

of 1906, he won the 1908 Democratic primary (in a virtually one party state) but was arrested for public intoxication less than a month before the December general election and was defeated by Robert Maddox. He served his third and fourth terms following

Courtland Winn Courtland Simmons Winn (1863 – 1940) was a politician, lawyer, and civic leader from the State of Georgia. Courtland S. Winn was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, while the American Civil War raged. His father, Judge Samuel J. Winn, was the ...

. Trying for a fifth term as Atlanta mayor, he ran (and lost) in September 1922, a year before his death. The Atlanta race riot of 1906 was a defining moment of Woodward's political career, to which occasion he did not rise. ''The New York Times'' reported that when Woodward was asked as to the measures taken to prevent a race riot, he replied:

The best way to prevent a race riot depends entirely upon the cause. If your inquiry has anything to do with the present situation in Atlanta then I would say the only remedy is to remove the cause. As long as the black brutes assault our white women, just so long will they be unceremoniously dealt with."THE ATLANTA RIOTS"
(September 25, 1906) ''New York Times''

He had gone around the city on Saturday night trying to calm the mobs, but was generally ignored. File:Woodward Bridgbe plaque.JPG, File:Woodward Bridge in Piedmont Park.JPG,

Notes

1845 births 1923 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Mayors of Atlanta {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub