USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > History of Savannah, Ga.; from its settlement to the close of the eighteenth century > Part 27
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Here is a strong and interesting individuality, an exceptionally fine mind, an eloquent orator whose thoughts are ever dressed in classic lan- guage which flows with all the natural ease and spontaneity of waters from a fountain. A lawyer who crowds the court rooms, a speaker who on the platform arouses the enthusiasm of his audience to the highest pitch, effective in debate, quick and crushing in repartee and full of all the expedients and manœuvres of a skilled parliamentarian. He has the dash of the cavalier-that beau esprit which dazzles and fas- cinates. Gifted far beyond most men, and ambitious, he has risen rapidly to a height where the greatest public honors are within his reach.
In the early history of Georgia there was a patriot who declined the governorship of his State saying that he considered himself too young a man for the position. There has been just one other young man since those early days who has put the honor away from him. Senator du Bignon, with the most flattering prospects of succeeding to the coveted chair, when his name was on the tongue of every intelligent man in the State,
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having more than the good will of the leading men in every section of Georgia-yes having their promised support unsought, to help him to what would be, as it were, but the stepping-stone to the very highest goal, in short, with a future tempting him to a career probably unequaled in brilliancy by any other man's in all the South, he deliberately turned away from it to devote himself to the practice of his profession. Of course, there was a strong motive for this decision, and it was a choice .between the competence which a prosperous profession brings and public honors with meager emoluments.
Fleming Grantland du Bignon was born July 25, 1853, at Woodville near Milledgeville, the old country seat of his maternal grandfather. His father, Capt. Charles du Bignon, was born and reared on Jekyl Island, one of the prettiest of the chain of islands which stretches along the Georgia coast. Capt. du Bignon was a private gentleman descended from Admiral du Bignon of the stock of French political refugees who had to abandon their country in one of the political revolutions which convulsed it within the last century. Senator du Bignon's mother, whom he resembles in many traits of character, is Mrs. Ann Virginia du Bignon, the daughter of the Hon. Seaton Grantland. Mr. du Bignon's early education was begun under the private tutorship of the celebrated Wash- ington Baird, D. D. After receiving a military education at the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Mr. du Bignon went thence to the Uni- versity of Virginia. Upon leaving that institution he spent more than a year in Europe to complete his education. Returning to Georgia he settled in Savannah, was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law here. In IS75 he married Miss Carro Nicol Lamar, daughter of the late Col. Charles A. L. Lamar, (and granddaughter of Judge Nicol of the U. S. District Court ), and soon thereafter he removed to Milledgeville, where he began the practice of law under the favorable auspices of family influence.
It was soon acknowledged that the young attorney was strong in de- bate and possessed to a high degree the graces of an accomplished orator. He had the capacity to win success in the face of opponents of wider experience and established reputations. From 1875 to 1877 he was county judge of Baldwin County and for one year of that time was asso- ciated as partner with R. Whitfield, esq., and afterwards when that law
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firm was dissolved he formed a partnership with A. Mckinley, esq. In 1880 he became a candidate for Representative of Baldwin County in the General Assembly of the State and he defeated his opponent the mayor of Milledgeville by a large majority.
In the lower House of the General Assembly Mr. du Bignon took an active and prominent part. He was the author of the measure which appropriated one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars ($165,000), for the purpose of erecting new and additional buildings at the State Lunatic Asylum and for improving the treatment of the unfortunates there confined. The measure, though bitterly opposed at first, was carried finally by an overwhelming vote upon the conclusion of an earnest ap- peal by Mr. du Bignon for its passage. Mr. du Bignon's speech upon the occasion, delivered before an immense crowd which had been at- tracted to the House, has been considered by some of his friends one of the best of his Legislative efforts. With this appropriation the Trustees of the Institution have erected two large and attractive recreation halls for the male and female patients. Also a handsome amusement hall for the convalescent, as well as two commodious buildings for colored patients. Mr. du Bignon has frequently said that should he accomplish nothing else in life, his successful effort in behalf of " these unfortunates " would more than repay him for all the annoyances and sacrifices which he had suffered in public life.
At the same session of the Legislature he introduced and passed a bill appropriating five thousand dollars ($5,000,) for the repair of the old capitol building at Milledgeville and to fit it for the use of The Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College. . This college is a depart- ment of the State University and is in a most flourishing state. Mr. du Bignon is a member of its Board of Trustees.
In 1882 at the end of his term in the House, Mr. du Bignon was elected without opposition to the State Senate from the 20th Senatorial District, comprising the counties of Baldwin, Hancock and Washington.
Upon the organization of the Senate, Mr. du Bignon's friends urged him to allow the use of his name for President of that body, but he pre- ferred to be upon the floor and declined. He was appointed Chairman of the Judiciary Committee which is the most important committee in the whole Legislature. It is to this committee that all important Legis-
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lation is referred before enacted into laws. After the organization of the Senate a poll of its members was made and it was found that there was but one vote's difference between Mr. du Bignon's following and that of Mr. Boynton who was elected President. Should Mr. du Bignon have been elected, he would have succeeded to the Gubernatorial office upon the death of Gov. A. H. Stephens, which occurred shortly afterwards and would have been the youngest man who ever entered that high office. Both in 1882 when elected to the Senate for the 20th District and in 1888 when elected for the Ist District, Mr. du Bignon ran ahead of the entire State ticket. The republican convention which met in Savannah to nominate candidates for the Legislature in 1888, and which was com- posed almost entirely of colored men, declined to nominate any one against Mr. du Bignon although they nominated three candidates for the House. They intended by their action to convey to Mr. du Bignon their appreciation of his fearless and impartial administration of the law while in the office of solicitor- general, and Mr. du Bignon is said to have been very much touched and pleased by their action.
After a residence of a few years in Milledgeville Mr. du Bignon re- turned to Savannah and was directly afterwards elected solicitor-general of the Eastern Judicial Circuit which embraces the counties of Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh and Effingham. Here in Savannah, in the Superior Court of Chatham County, he won a splendid and a deserved reputation as a fearless and successful prosecuting attorney for the State. No influence was strong enough to deter him from prosecuting to the full extent of his ability a violator of the law. No offender was high enough to escape through position. The Solicitor's purpose was to ad- minister his office without fear, favor or affection. The years of 1885 and 1886 were fruitful of crime in the city of Savannah. Tragedies all but trod upon each other's heels, numerous assaults were frequent, the gambler flourished and there were constant complaints of mal-adminis- tration in the offices of the justices of the peace. When the Court was in session, convicted prisoners day after day struck terror into the hearts of the criminally minded. An attempt to particularize would be out of place. But of all the trials, the most noted case was the prosecution of . John Walsh for the murder of Dawson. The strong influences of nation- ality and religion were set at work for the defendant. It was a brilliant
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trial concluding with a magnificent speech by Solicitor-General du Big- non who spoke three hours in a densely crowded court room, and the jury convicted. Then came a request from the United States govern- ment to Mr. du Bignon to assist in the prosecution of a (notorious) moonshiner, Johnson, from Montgomery County. Johnson was indicted for shooting at a deputy-marshal. There were especial reasons why the government desired a conviction in that case and Mr. du Bignon con- victed him. Still later and most dramatic of all, so recent that it is yet fresh in the minds of every one, was the trial of Thomas Cassidy for the murder of George Smith. Eminent counsel defended the prisoner, the trial was a long one and when the arguments by counsel began the Superior Court room in the old Court-House was thronged. On the last day Mr. du Bignon made an able and eloquent speech and the jury convicted on circumstantial evidence. There are scores of other cases which might be cited for their strong prosecution. This is a matter of record throughout his career as solicitor-general. Mr. du Bignon rarely lost a case. When he resigned after being re-elected, murders, in the words of the newspapers, were a rarity, aggravated assaults were less frequent than for years, the gambling dens were broken up and the mag- istrates offices were more satisfactorily conducted than in many years.
· Mr. du Bignon took an active part in local politics and in 1888 he was elected a member of the State Senate without opposition. He resigned the office of solicitor-general and on the assembling of the Senate was unanimously elected its President. He filled the chair with dignity, im- partiality and ability. Legislation was in a great measure in his hands and as those who are acquainted with the secret history of the two ses- sions know, the designs of certain foreign corporations to mulct the State's treasury were thwarted mainly through his efforts. All during 1889 a sentiment kept spreading and deepening in favor of Senator du Bignon for Governor to succeed Gen. John B. Gordon. From all parts of Georgia he received proffers of aid if he would accept and these proffers came from the most influential men whose combined influences no other candidate could defeat. Those kindly offers he declined and stated pos. itively that he intended to retire from public office and practice his pro fession. This he did and accepted a partnership in the law firm of Chisholm & Erwin, the counsel for the Plant system of railways and steamships and
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for the Southern Express Company and Western Union Telegraph Com- pany. The firm name is now, Chisholm, Erwin & du Bignon.
As a conversationalist Senator du Bignon is of the most entertaining of men. He has a vast fund of anecdote reminiscence and a keen per- ception of the ludicrous. As a lawyer he is aggressive, thoroughly fa- miliar with the rules of practice, quick to catch the fatal flaw of the opposing side, a sharp cross-examiner, dramatic and effective before a jury. His wide experience as a criminal lawyer has equipped him in that branch of his profession as thoroughly as any lawyer in Georgia.
B ALLANTYNE, THOMAS .- The subject of this sketch was born in Glasgow, Scotland, August 5, 1831, and is the son of Thomas Ball- antyne, whose strong integrity, indomitable industry, and genial charac- teristics he inherited. Thomas Ballantyne, the younger, was educated at Hutchinson's Academy, a school of renown in Glasgow, after which he served his apprenticeship as an iron founder. Shortly after having mas- tered his trade he enlisted in the Scottish Greys, or Second Royal Dra- goons, famous in song and story for its celebrated charge at Balaklava. Mr. Ballantyne was on shipboard on the way to his regiment when the charge was made "into the jaws of death by the gallant three hundred." He participated in the Crimean War, and was at the capture of Sebasto- pol. After serving two years in that historic corps Mr. Ballantyne bought his discharge and returned home, and after working eight months at his trade in Glasgow, he sailed for New York in 1856, and it was not long af- ter his arrival when his superior excellence as an iron moulder led to his being put in charge as foreman of the Newark machine works, one of the largest establishments in this country. In 1859 he was sent for to come to Savannah to do a piece of work which no other could do here, and he was persuaded to remain, and was given charge of the late Alvin N. Miller's foundry and machine works. While here the war broke out and he was re- tained as superintendent and manufacturer of ordnance for the gun boats of the Confederate Navy, and during the last two years of the war he was in charge of the Confederate States' Foundry at Habersham and Taylor streets, which turned out ordnance work for the late Confederate Gov- ernment. With the fall of Savannah the Federal government confis- cated the Miller machine shops and foundry, and Mr. Ballantyne was
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put in charge to superintend the repairing of government property for the steamships and gunboats of the government. In 1866 Mr. Ballantyne and John McDonough started a foundry at Arnold and Liberty streets under the firm name of McDonough & Ballantyne, and a year later built ex- tensive machine and boiler shops and foundry at East Broad, Perry and McDonough streets, which are the largest and best shops of the kind in Savannah, employing fifty men and turning out engines, boilers and ma- chinery of all descriptions, and which has made for many years, and is still making, all the iron castings for the Central railroad. The firm still bears the name of McDonough & Ballantyne, Mr. J. J. McDonough having succeeded to the partnership after the death of his father.
While the war was in progress Mr. Ballantyne commanded a com- pany of men recruited from the machine shops for home defense. He is an honorary member of the Georgia Hussars, the oldest troop of cavalry in the United States of which, in the days of his active service, he was second sergeant. He went to join his company the first year of the war but was turned back at Richmond; the Confederate government consid- ered his services more valuable in the manufacture of ordnance, and sent him back to Savannah.
Mr. Ballantyne is one of the jury commissioners for the selection of jurors for the courts. He served as alderman on the board for several years, and was chairman of markets, and chairman of the health and san- itation committee during the epidemic of 1876, having charge of the san- itation of the city, and he labored zealously and earnestly during that afflicting period until he himself was stricken down near the close of the epidemic.
Mr. Ballantyne is connected with many enterprises of a public char- acter, and he is always foremost in promoting every industry calculated to advance the growth and prosperity of the city in which he has long been one of its most conspicuous and industrious citizens. He has sub- scribed to all enterprises looking to the promotion of Savannah.
He is a member of the Independent Presbyterian Church and has served on its board of trustees. He has also been the president of the St. Andrew's society, and is one of the most pleasant and genial members that sits around its board.
Mr. Ballantyne has been a Free Mason for about a quarter of a cen-
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tury, and is recognized by the fraternity outside, as well as inside of its assemblies, as one of its most zealous members; in whatever is best cal- culated to advance the interest of the craft he is ever ready to devote his time and means. He is a proficient worker in the temple, having the rare gift of expounding the rituals of the several degrees in a perfect and impressive manner. This gift and his devotion to the principles of Free- masonry have won for him the well deserved preeminence which he en- joys with his brethren. Mr. Ballantyne has held nearly, if not all, the honors that can be conferred by the fraternity. Early in his masonic career he filled the various offices in the lodge, Zurubbabel No. 15, holding the office of worshipful master for five or six years. He was high priest of Georgia Chapter No. 3, R. A. M., for twelve years, and filled the office of thrice illustrious master in Georgia Council No. 2, R. and S. M. during the same period. He now holds the position of eminent commander of Palestine Commandery No. 7, Knights Templar, having recently been re-elected against his earnest protest, though he had held the office for seven years. In addition to the honors conferred upon him by his breth- ren in Savannah, Mr. Ballantyne was for two years grand commander of Knights Templar for the State of Georgia, and was also deputy grand master of Royal and Select Masters of Georgia. He is now deputy grand high priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Georgia.
Mr. Ballantyne is a celibate and has one brother, William Ballantyne, employed at the foundry, and one sister, Mrs. Margaret Hunter, residing in Glasgow, Scotland.
L ESTER, DANIEL B., one of the most prosperous wholesale and re- tail grocers of Savannah, largely interested in real estate and other interests in which he is connected, and which bring him a very large rev- enue, affords an example of what a young man of energy, industry and integrity can do when thrown upon his own resources.
Mr. Lester was born June 18, 1851, in Bulloch county, Ga., and is the son of the late Malcom B. Lester, a prosperous farmer of that county who responded to the call of his section and enlisted in the Confederate army and lost his life during the war. Mr. Lester's family, like many other families in the South, found itself in straitened circumstances, but this did not discourage the subject of this sketch, who determined to replace
1,13, Lester
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the losses occasioned by the war, and with this determination in view he started out single-handed to battle with adversity, and by strength of character he has nobly succeeded.
With only the rudiments of a common school education, he educated himself at Lookout Mountain Educational Institution, having first ob- tained a situation as clerk in a general store at Marietta, Ga., where, after close application to business for several months, he found it necessary to get something more than the schooling he had obtained in the primitive country school-house. After a year spent in earnest study at Lookout Mountain he came to Savannah, and for over six years was occupied as clerk in the grocery business, and having, by a life of frugality, husbanded his means, he went into business for himself, being associated in the firm of Lester & Harmon, grocers, at No. 31 Whitaker street. In 1876 he disposed of his interest, and established a grocery of his own, which he now conducts.
With a shrewd business foresight Mr. Lester saw that real estate in . and about Savannah would soon rapidly appreciate in value, and in 1879 he began to buy real estate, in which he has ever since been, and is now largely interested. He was one of the original twenty-five who built the Belt Line Street Railroad, the longest and best equipped line of street railroad in the South, all of its street cars being of the celebrated pattern of the Broadway cars of New York. He is connected with various com- mercial, industrial, and railroad enterprises, to all of which he has been a liberal subscriber, and in many of which he is a director. He was one of the organizers of the Merchants' and Mechanics' Loan Association, and served as director for a long while. He is a director of the Home Build- ing Company, and president of the Savannah Plumbing Company, in which he was one of the moving spirits.
Mr. Lester is one of the most genial and pleasant gentlemen, and always easy of access to the most humble, no matter how pressing the demand which his varied interests make upon his time. He married Miss Margaret I. Russell, daughter of the late Judge Levi S. Russell, from which union there were two children, a son and daughter ; the latter, an interesting child, died quite recently. Mr. Lester resides in an elegant mansion on one of the principal residence streets of the city, fronting Park Extension, and all the surroundings show the cultured and refined taste of himself and his estimable wife.
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M ELDRIM, HON. PETER W. Hon. Peter W. Meldrim, the son of Ralph and Jane Meldrim was born in Savannah, December 4, 1848. His education was acquired at the Chatham Academy, under a private tutor and at the State University. He graduated from the academic de- partment in 1868, and from the law department in 1869. Returning home he began the practice of law, and in his profession he went steadily and rapidly to the front. While at the University he gained a reputation as a close student and a promising orator. In the wider fields of his profession he continually added to his laurels as an eloquent speaker, and for a decade and a half has shared honors on many public occasions with Savannah's oldest and best orators.
Two days before the state election in 1881, Mr. Meldrim was nomi- nated for the Senate from this district and he was elected. A writer in summing up Mr. Meldrim's senate career says that it " was active, high- toned and brilliant. He was ever ready to give his vote and his voice to those measures of policy, or to the statutes which seemed to him essential to individual and public welfare. In all his acts he reflected the liberality and intelligence of his constituents, and for this was beloved and admired by all who witnessed his course. His efforts in debate sustained his reputation as an orator. As chairman of the committee of military affairs, he was indefatigable in his labors in behalf of the per- fect organization, equipment and discipline of the volunteer troops of the State. His speeches on this subject before the committees and in the Senate were models of eloquence and logic. Then when the bill to make tuition forever free at the State University was put upon its pas- sage and the measure was violently opposed, he came to the rescue fear- lessly and grandly, aiding materially in bringing about the happy result of its triumphant passage. His constituents and the people of Georgia have reason to be proud of his talents and character."
For several years Mr. Meldrim has been associated with Col. William Garrard in the practice of law. These gentlemen have long had the reputation of enjoying a large practice, larger than any other firm in Sa- vannah. Mr. Meldrim is the court-house lawyer of the firm and unlike many attorneys he is as successful in criminal cases as in civil suits.
He is widely read, not only in law but in literature, and even his speeches to judges and juries often glitter with allusions or pictures which
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relieve the tedium of sheep-bound authorities, he always goes into court thoroughly prepared, knowing not only his own case but that of the other side. In many of the Georgia decisions where Mr. Meldrim's cases appear, there are high compliments from the Supreme Bench.
In all things appertaining to Irish affairs, Mr. Meldrim takes a deep interest. He has been president of the Hibernian society for years and that organization excels in every respect any similar association in this or neighboring States. Every year the honorable society is extending its reputation, and the lustre of its name is spreading farther and farther by reason of its President's efforts. It is Mr. Meldrim's ambition to give his society a national reputation and no one who knows him well doubts that he will succeed. Once a year he brings about its board the brightest schol- ars, the most learned lawyers and the ablest men in various professions.
In the erection of the monument to Sergt. Jasper in Madison Square Mr. Meldrim has no small share of the credit. The Jasper Monument Association had no more earnest and tireless worker than he.
Every political canvass brings Mr. Meldrim to the front. Candidates need his aid and influence which is far-reaching, being a good planner and organizer his friends invariably get him interested. He is too busy with pressing professional business to aspire to office himself, but every two years he is urged to become a candidate for Congress. The volun- teer military interests him too, and he is the Major of the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia Cavalry to which position he was promoted from . lieutenancy in the Georgia Hussars.
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