A prominent judge in Savannah, Alexander R. MacDonnell served six terms as president of the Georgia Historical Society, from 1941 to 1944. Shortly after being admitted to the Georgia bar, MacDonnell served as a first lieutenant of Battery A of the Chatham Artillery in 1916 and as captain of Battery A in the 117th Field Artillery during World War I. He returned to Savannah to continue to practice law. He was elected to the Municipal Court in 1921 and became judge of City Court in 1935, getting elected to chief judgeship in the Municipal Court along the way. Alongside his dedication to GHS, MacDonnell was the vice president of the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, chairman of the Court of Honor and Awards of the Coastal Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and member of the Savannah Art Club. He died in 1951 and is buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.

Source:

• Vertical file: Judge MacDonnell’s obituary in unknown newspaper