William Jonathan Northen | |
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| 54th Governor of Georgia | |
| In office November 8, 1890 – October 27, 1894 | |
| Preceded by | John Brown Gordon |
| Succeeded by | William Yates Atkinson |
| Georgia State Senate | |
| In office 1885–1887 | |
| Georgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1881–1883 | |
| In office 1877–1879 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Jonathan Northen (1835-07-09)July 9, 1835 Jones County,GeorgiaU.S. |
| Died | March 25, 1913(1913-03-25) (aged 77) Atlanta,GeorgiaU.S. |
| Resting place | Oakland Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Mercer University |
| Signature | .png) |
| Southern Baptists |
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William Jonathan Northen (July 9, 1835 – March 25, 1913), was the54th Governor of Georgia from 1890 to 1894, as well as a leading Baptist minister. Northen was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention from 1892 to 1910, and president of theSouthern Baptist Convention from 1899 to 1901.[1] His political rhetoric was based on his religious outlook, and often focused on racial issues at a time whenlynching was increasing. Northen believed that advances in medicine and health would ultimately help African Americans achieve salvation. He promoted the ideology of the modernizingNew South, but did not abandon the policy ofwhite supremacy.[2][3]
Born inJones County,Georgia, Northen graduated fromMercer University in 1853. He married Martha Neel in 1860 and served as a two-term member of theGeorgia House of Representatives (1877–1881). He also was elected to theGeorgia Senate in 1884. He was one of the biggest planters inHancock County, Georgia.
Northen was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention from 1892 to 1910,[4] and president of theSouthern Baptist Convention from 1899 to 1901.[5]
Forced to resign from teaching, Northen began to farm.[citation needed] After the Civil War, farming in Georgia needed reform. Northen set his sights on theGeorgia House of Representatives, where he earned the trust of fellow farmers in the same situation as he. He uplifted the spirits of his fellow Georgians, who elected him to two terms in the state House, one term in the state Senate, and president of the Georgia Agricultural Society. He was elected to his first term as governor in 1890.
Northen was aDemocrat and a staunch foe of thePopulist party.[6] He promoted biracial cooperation among races and was against lynching, a common occurrence at the time.[7] "I regret that the necessity exists for recommending the passage of more stringent laws for the protection of human life," he told state legislators in October 1892.[8]
He was a proponent oftemperance, and offered a temperance bill to theGeorgia General Assembly on July 14, 1881. The bill passed the House, but was swiftly defeated in the Senate.[9]
Despite opposition fromThomas E. Watson, who supported the Populist Party's candidate, Northen won a second term as governor in 1892.
Northen contributed to the history of Georgia by compiling a seven-volume collection of biographical essays, published between 1907 and 1912, titledMen of Mark in Georgia. In 1911, he replacedAllen D. Candler as compiler of state records and contributed to the ongoing publication of the Colonial Records of Georgia series.
He died in 1913, inAtlanta, Georgia. Northen is buried inOakland Cemetery.
Georgia Scenes.
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Georgia 1890, 1892 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Georgia 1890–1894 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theSouthern Baptist Convention 1899–1901 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
