Image Credit: Mike Stroud
Today’s #MarkerMonday recognizes Joseph Rucker Lamar, who was born in Elbert County on this week (October 15th) in 1857. He spent most of his childhood in an antebellum Augusta home that still stands today, where he befriended future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. After being admitted to the state bar at the age of twenty, Lamar went on to have a very successful career as an attorney and quickly became one of the most sought-after lawyers in the state. He was also a prominent civil servant and spent two terms in the state legislature. He then served on the Georgia Supreme Court from 1903 until 1905, when he returned to private practice before President Taft appointed him as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911. Lamar occupied this position (where he was able to reconnect with his boyhood friend Woodrow Wilson after the latter became president) until he suffered a stroke in September 1915, which ultimately led to his 1916 death.
Explore the links below to learn more about Joseph Rucker Lamar.