George Hillyer

George Hillyer
Judge of the Fulton County Superior Court
In office 1877–1883
Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 35th District
In office 1871–1875
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from Walton County
In office 1857–1859
Mayor of Atlanta
In office January 1885 – January 1887
Personal details
Born	(1835-03-17)March 17, 1835 Athens, Georgia
Died	October 22, 1927(1927-10-22) (aged 92) Atlanta, Georgia
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ellen Emily Cooley
Relations	Ethel Hillyer Harris (niece)
Children	eight children (three died in infancy)
Alma mater	Mercer University
Occupation	Lawyer and Railroad Executive
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–65 (CSA)
Rank	Major (CSA)
Unit	Company C of the Ninth Regiment of Georgia Volunteers (CSA)
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Gettysburg Campaign Peninsula Campaign Atlanta Campaign

George Hillyer (March 17, 1835 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician, serving as the 29th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a state representative and senator. He was also an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Biography

Early years and education

Hillyer was born in Athens, Georgia, one of eight children of Judge Junius Hillyer, a United States Congressman and solicitor of the U.S. Treasury, and Jane Selina Watkins. He graduated from Mercer University in July 1854, "securing honors in all branches of study". He then studied law under the supervision of his father, Judge Hillyer, in Monroe, Georgia, and in 1855 was admitted to the state bar. For the first two years of his legal career he practiced with his father, then set up a partnership with the Hon. Hope Hull until the start of the Civil War.

Georgia House of Representatives

At the age of 21, Hillyer ran for a seat in the state legislature, and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1856. He was sworn in the following January and served one two-year term. Hillyer then served as Clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1859 to 1860. In 1860 he was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, where he supported the nomination of Howell Cobb for President.

Military service

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Hillyer raised a Walton County company known as the "Hillyer Rifles" in the late spring of 1861. The men were mustered into the Confederate Army on June 13, with Hillyer elected as the captain of what became Company C of the 9th Georgia Volunteer Infantry. He and the regiment were sent by train to Virginia and assigned to the newly created brigade of George "Tige" Anderson in the newly organized Army of Northern Virginia. Hillyer saw extensive fighting at Fredericksburg (briefly commanding the regiment) and Gettysburg, where he fought at the famed "Wheatfield" on July 2, 1863. The 9th Georgia lost half of its 340 men in the fight, and Hillyer's company suffered considerable losses. With all the senior officers wounded or killed, Hillyer assumed command of the regiment for the rest of the Gettysburg Campaign, and wrote the official report of the 9th Georgia's service in the battle. Union General Joseph Hooker remarked that Confederate Captain Hillyer was "a most able, efficient & gallant officer".

The Wheatfield

The afternoon of July 2, 1863, left the “Wheatfield” and nearby woods strewn with more than 4,000 dead and wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. Thousands of troops fought in this area and veterans compared it to a whirlpool--a stream of eddies and tides that flowed around the 19-20 acres of wheat owned by farmer George Rose; it is said to have changed hands six times.

Patricia A. Kaufmann

Hillyer resigned his captain's commission in November 1863 to become an auditor for the Western & Atlantic Railroad at the request of Governor Joseph E. Brown, who preferred a military man for the role as the railroad was the main supply route for General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army. Early in 1864, Hillyer organized the State Road Battalion (consisting mainly of railroad men) and he was placed in command of the defenses of the railroad with the rank of major. Seeing action against cavalry raiders during the Atlanta Campaign, Hillyer performed well, but the railroad eventually fell to the Union Army. He and his remaining men surrendered to Federal officers on May 10, 1865.

Legal career and political office

After the war, Hillyer set a law practice in Atlanta with his brother, Henry. The two worked together for a number of years before George eventually joined the law firm of Hillyer, Alexander & Lambdin.

In June 1867, at the age of 32, Hillyer married Ellen Emily Cooley, and together they undertook to raise a family, eventually having 8 children (three of whom died in infancy).

Starting in 1870, he served four years as a Democrat in the Georgia Senate, representing the 35th District, which included Fulton, Clayton, and Cobb counties. He served as the Georgia delegate to the United States Centennial Commission that planned and organized the country's Centennial celebrations and the International Exhibition of 1876. He was appointed to the Fulton County Superior Court by Governor Alfred H. Colquitt, serving from 1877 to 1883.

The city of Atlanta

In 1885 Hillyer served one term as mayor of Atlanta, during which time he became an expert on municipal water services, publishing several related articles and serving on the Atlanta Water Commission for many years. Hillyer played an active role in the establishment of the Atlanta University System to provide higher education to the freed slaves. He was on the board of trustees for Spelman Baptist Seminary, as well as Vice-Chairman for the Georgia Railroad Commission.

Death and legacy

He died at the age of 92 and was buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.

Writings

My Gettysburg Battle Experiences (edited by Gregory A. Coco), 2005, Thomas Publications (Gettysburg, PA)

External links

• Judge George Hillyer papers - Atlanta History Center
• Hillyer Civil War page and photograph
• Two letters and a telegram from Capt. Hillyer to his father - Hillyer Rifles stationary
• Political Graveyard
• Confederate Army Captain George Hillyer Print Wall Art - at WalMart
• George Hillyer at Find a Grave