John Marshall Slaton (December 25, 1866 – January 11, 1955) served two non-consecutive terms as the 60th Governor of Georgia.

His political career ended in 1915 after he commuted the death sentence of Atlanta factory boss Leo Frank, who had been convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan.

[1] In 1913 Slaton paroled Mose Houston, the convicted murderer of Delia Green, after serving but twelve years of his life sentence.

"I can endure misconstruction, abuse and condemnation,... but I cannot stand the constant companionship, of an accusing conscience which would remind me that I, as governor of Georgia, failed to do what I thought to be right....

It means that I must live in obscurity the rest of my days, but I would rather be plowing in a field than to feel that I had that blood on my hands.

[4] Slaton's actions led to threats of mob violence against him, and the Georgia National Guard and local police provided him protection.

An episode of the 1964 TV series Profiles in Courage dramatized Governor John M. Slaton's decision to commute Frank's sentence.

[14] The 1988 TV miniseries The Murder of Mary Phagan was broadcast on NBC, starring Jack Lemmon as Gov.

[16] It was the first public honoring of Governor Slaton since his controversial commutation of the Leo Frank death sentence almost 100 years ago to the day.

Georgia Supreme Court Justice David Nahmias, a speaker at the dedication said: "In the final blot that the case placed on the history of our state, a mob kidnapped Leo Frank, drove him to Marietta, and lynched him...It is altogether right that we still celebrate what Governor Slaton did, because we need to remember those who stood tall in defense of the rule of law, to inspire all of us who need to stand tall when the rule of law is again threatened, as it is in one way or another almost every day.

Governor Slaton is, and should be, a particular inspiration to people like me—judges on the courts of Georgia and on the federal courts—the kind of judges who were unable to protect Leo Frank from the unjust ending that the mob demanded.

[21] The marker text reads: "John Marshall Slaton was born in Meriwether County and graduated from the University of Georgia before practicing law in Atlanta.