Courtland Winn
Encyclopedia
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and civic leader from the State of Georgia (U.S. State)
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Courtland S. Winn was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States. The Census Bureau estimates the 2008 population at 29,258...
while the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
raged. His father Judge Samuel J. Winn (1837–1919) was then acting Colonel of [the 13th regiment of Georgia Cavalry] riding with Morgan's Raiders (see Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
) in Northeast Georgia and East Tennessee. His mother Sara Simmons was at home in Lawrenceville looking after her first-born. Both parents were from pioneer Gwinnett County families, Elisha Winn (1777–1842) and Adam Q. Simmons (1786–1863).
Courtland attended Emory College, Oxford College of Emory University
Oxford College of Emory University
Oxford College is a two-year residential college specializing in the foundations of liberal arts education, and is one of nine divisions of Emory University. The college is located on Emory University's original 1836 campus in Oxford, Georgia, 38 miles east of the main Atlanta campus...
, at Oxford, Georgia
Oxford, Georgia
Oxford is a city in Newton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,892. It is the location of Oxford College of Emory University. The entire town is also designated as a shrine of the United Methodist Church. Additionally, Confederate soldiers are...
and read law under his father. He was admitted to the Bar at Monroe, Georgia
Monroe, Georgia
Monroe is a city in Walton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,381 at the 2008 census. The city is the county seat of Walton County, Georgia.-Geography:Monroe is located at ....
. At the age of 21 in 1884, he was elected mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Lawrenceville and served two terms. In 1885 he married Fannie Thomas, daughter of Lovick Pierce Thomas, II, and Jemima Jane Peeples of Atlanta. The family moved to Atlanta in 1888.
In 1902 Mr. Winn was elected councilman of Ward 2 of Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
. Also, he was the Fulton County administrator and vice-chairman of the Fulton County Board of Education. In 1910, Courtland Winn ran a successful campaign against James G. Woodward for Atlanta mayor. Winn served one term as mayor of Atlanta from 1911 to 1913 and was considered a progressive. During his term he increased teacher's pay, eliminated many garbage dumps and oversaw the building of a garbage incinerator, had a bridge built over the railroad eliminating a dangerous level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
, opened a fire station in South Atlanta and began the switch from horse-drawn to motor-driven firefighting equipment. Although he was to never enter politics again, Winn was a leading lawyer in the city for over fifty years and served as assistant city attorney for Atlanta.