Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

September 14

1744 At the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London, a marriage license was issued to "Hon. James Oglethorpe, of St. Margaret's, Westminster, Esq., Bachelor, above 40 and Elizabeth Wright, of Cranham, Essex, spinster, above 25." In reality, Oglethorpe was 48 at the time, while his bride-to-be was probably closer to 30. Incidentally, the reference to St. Margaret's was St. Margaret's Parish, which encompassed the area of Westminster where Oglethorpe lived while in London. His home was still in Godalming in Surrey County, though he would soon move to new wife's estate in Cranham east of London.

1823 Lawyer and politician Benjamin Hill was born in Jasper County, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1844, read law in Athens, and was admitted to the bar in 1845. Hill served a term in the Georgia House of Representatives (1851-52) and in the Georgia Senate (1959-60). After Georgia seceded, Hill served in the Confederate provisional congress and was a Confederate senator throughout the Civil War. After the war, Hill served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1875-76) and in the U.S. Senate from 1877 until his death on Aug. 16, 1882. [See Ben Hill statue.] In 1906, the General Assembly created a new county named in his honor.

1885 Gov. Henry McDaniel signed an act of the General Assembly ceding to the United States jurisdiction over such land in Fulton and DeKalb counties the U.S. might acquire for the purpose of building a military installation up to 200 acres in size (amended to 250 acres in 1886). The action came after Congress appropriated $500,000 to build a military post somewhere in the Atlanta area. In May 1885, Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock had chosen a 140-acre site on the Central Railroad at a point near the road to East Point. In 1886, construction began a new federal post – initially to be called Fort Hancock. However, before completion of the facility in 1889, federal authorities had decided instead to name it in honor Union Maj. Gen. James McPherson, who had been killed in the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.

Excluding Fort Pulaski (located in the mouth of the Savannah River and completed in 1847), Fort McPherson was the first major U.S. military installation in Georgia. The Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II would lead to many more U.S. Army bases, airfields, and other military installations being constructed in Georgia.

1917 Poet and novelist Byron Herbert Reece was born near Blairsville, Georgia. Despite never completing a formal college education, Reese wrote several novels and collections of poetry in north Georgia.

In the early 1950s, Reece was offered the position of poet in residence at UCLA. While there, he wrote Bow Down in Jericho. Later, he took positions of poet in residence at Young Harris College and Emory University. Reece committed suicide at Young Harris College on June 3, 1958.

1955 Macon's Little Richard recorded "Tutti Frutti" in a two-day recording session at Specialty Records in Hollywood.

1976 The Georgia World Congress Center opened in Atlanta. Mayor Maynard Jackson characterized it as "the most magnificent show convention facility in the world." Governor George Busbee described the center as "a benchmark in the economic life of this city." Busbee added that Atlanta had long been "a city of national stature. Starting today it is a city of international significance."

1979 Former Oglethorpe County resident Kenny Rogers received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To celebrate the event, Hollywood's mayor declared this day "Kenny Rogers Day."

1980 Eleven year old Darron Glass disappeared in Atlanta. He was the latest victim in the Atlanta Child Murders case.

1996 Playing in Shea Stadium in New York, the Atlanta Braves tied a club record – but one they would like to forget.

In the bottom of the 12th inning, the Mets broke a tie with a 6-5 victory over the Braves. This marked Atlanta's 10th consecutive road loss – a record last set in 1982. Nevertheless, the Braves would go on to win their division and the National League championship to play in 1996 World Series, which they lost to the New York Yankees.

1998 Behind the pitching of Tom Glavine, who recorded his 19th victory, the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies by 4-2 to win the National League's Eastern Division championship [click here for game summary].

This was the Brave's seventh consecutive division championship – a major league record.

2005 Delta Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

2009 Jody Powell, former White House press secretary to Jimmy Carter, died of a heart attack at his home in Maryland.

Georgia cities and towns incorporated by acts approved on Sept. 14:

1881 Pelham (Mitchell County)

1891 Arabi (originally Dooly County but today Crisp County)

Other actions affecting Georgia cities and towns approved on Sept. 14:

1885 Atlanta's city limits were extended to include Grant Park.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1797 Benjamin Hawkins was the United States agent for Indian affairs south of the Ohio River. [See Aug. 15 entry for biographical information.] His headquarters was at Fort Wilkinson, on the Flint River. Hawkins had a genuine interest in the welfare of the Indians, but many other Americans did not, as evidenced by the following letter Hawkins received on this day:

". . . I was in hopes that I should not hear of any more bloodshed on this frontier. On the 12th of this month two imprudent men crossed the Oconee from near the mouth of sandy Run, went up Little River, and wounded one of the chiefs of the Cusseta. It is yet uncertain whether the chief will die; he has sent to me and I have afforded him such assistance as he required. If your neighbors will conduct themselves well toward the Indians, they will have nothing to fear from this outrage. . . ."

Source: Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, Vol. IX, Letters of Benjamin Hawkins, 1796-1806 (Savannah, Georgia Historical Society, 1916), p. 194.