Georgia Historical Commission

The impetus for the creation of the commission came from several sources as local historical societies were launching restoration projects of statewide importance.

Three Atlanta civic leaders lobbied for a state historical commission: Henry A. Alexander, an attorney who was appointed chairman of the first board of commissioners; Joseph Jacobs, a pharmacist; and Frank Boland, a physician who wanted a memorial for Crawford W. Long, a Georgian who was the first person to use ether as an anesthetic.

Governor Herman Talmadge, after years of stormy political battles, was eager to support an initiative with wide appeal.

C. E. Gregory, a retired political editor of the Atlanta Journal, had been influential in the campaign to establish the commission and became its first executive secretary.

Such specialists as the architectural historian William R. Mitchell Jr. and the archaeologist Lewis H. Larson Jr., who was involved in a New Echota project, advised the board over the years.