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Military Service: Army

War(s) Served:  Civil War

HENRY DICKERSON MCDANIEL, Georgia's 37th Governor, was born in Monroe, Georgia, on September 4, 1836. In 1856 he graduated with honors from Mercer University. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and established a legal career in Monroe. McDaniel entered politics as the youngest member of the 1861 Georgia Secession Convention. He then went on to serve in the Confederate Army as a major. In 1863 he was wounded in battle, captured, and served the rest of the war as a prisoner.  After his release, he served as a delegate to the 1865 State Constitutional Convention, was a one-term member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1872, and served in the Georgia Senate from 1874 to 1882. Due to the death of Governor Alexander Stephens, a special election was held in April 1883, and consequently McDaniel was elected to fill the unexpired term of Governor Stephens. He was reelected to a second term in 1884. During his tenure, the Georgia Institute of Technology was founded; construction on the new State Capitol began; state finances improved; railroads were taxed; and programs for the deaf, blind, and insane were advanced. After leaving office on November 9, 1886, McDaniel retired from public service, but continued to stay active in civic affairs and in his various business dealings. Governor Henry D. McDaniel died on July 25, 1926, and he is buried at the Rest Haven Cemetery in Monroe.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

The Georgia Trust for Historical Preservation

Governors' Portraits