Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson (1860 — 1942), was influential in promoting education to women in

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 ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As the wife of

William Yates Atkinson William Yates Atkinson (November 11, 1854 – August 8, 1899), was the 55th Governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. Early life Atkinson was born in the Oakland community in Meriwether County, Georgia on November 11, 1854. He graduated from the ...

, the

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

from 1894 to 1898, she used her position as the state

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

to advocate for state funding for women to attend college. After her time at Georgia College, she went into the insurance business. In her later life, Atkinson served as the

postmistress A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

Newnan Newnan is a city in Metro Atlanta and the county seat of Coweta County, Georgia, about southwest of Atlanta. Its population was 42,549 at the 2020 census, up from 33,039 in 2010. History Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta Coun ...

—a title bestowed upon her by

President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

himself.

Early life and education

Susan was born in

Greenwood, Florida Greenwood is a town in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 686 at the 2010 census. Geography Greenwood is located at (30.873517, –85.162431). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of ...

. She was the granddaughter of Florida governor

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

, so Susan was exposed at a young age to the life of politics. She attended the

Lucy Cobb Institute The Lucy Cobb Institute was a girls' school on Milledge Avenue in Athens, Georgia, United States. It was founded by Thomas R.R. Cobb, and named in honor of his daughter, who had died of scarlet fever at age 14, shortly before construction was c ...

for college, where she also met her husband.

Georgia College & State University

Susan Atkinson was encouraged by one of her friends, Julia Flisch, to help open another college for women in Georgia. In 1889, Atkinson created a petition for the state of Georgia to open a college, so her husband presented a bill to the House of Representatives that finally passed. After Milledgeville was selected as the site for the college, it was founded in 1890 as Georgia Normal and Industrial College. The school's name was later changed to Georgia State College for Women and then finally to

Georgia College & State University Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GC) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgia and the Council o ...

. When the college was founded, William was named Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Susan became the President of the Board of Visitors.

Personal life and legacy

Susan Cobb Milton married

in 1880. She was widowed when William died in 1899. The Atkinsons had six children together. One of their sons, William Yates Atkinson Jr., became a justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Georgia Normal and Industrial College honored the Atkinsons by naming a building in their honor. Atkinson Hall is now the building for the School of Business at Georgia College.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb Milton Atkinson, Susan 1860 births 1942 deaths People from Jackson County, Florida First ladies and gentlemen of Georgia (U.S. state) 19th-century American educators Education in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia College & State University Educators from Florida 19th-century American women educators Georgia (U.S. state) postmasters