February 12, 1733

1733 Under the New Style calendar, this is the day celebrated as Georgia Day to mark the landing of James Oglethorpe and the first colonists at Yamacraw Bluff. According to the Old Style of dating in effect at the time, the colonists actually arrived Feb. 1, 1732/33. For the story of how Feb. 1, 1732/33 (Old Style) represents Feb. 12, 1733 (New Style).

February 12, 1811

1811 Reconstruction provisional Gov. James Johnson born in Robinson County, N.C. He attended the University of Georgia with Alexander Stephens, graduating in 1832. After studying law, Johnson was admitted to the bar in 1835 and practice law in Columbus. In 1851, he was elected to Congress, where he served on term. Johnson was opposed to the secession movement, and he did not participate in the Civil War. After the war, Pres. Andrew Johnson named him provisional governor of Georgia. That fall he lost the election, and subsequently served as U.S. customs collector in Savannah (1866-1869) and superior court judge (1869-1875). In 1875, Johnson returned to the practice of law in Columbus. He died in Chattahoochee County on Nov. 20, 1891.

February 12, 1825

1825 A group of Lower Creek chiefs led by William McIntosh signed the Treaty of Indian Springs giving up all remaining Creek lands in Georgia. Subsequently, a group of Upper Creeks assassinated McIntosh on April 29, 1825 at his home on the Chattahoochee River. Opposition by Creeks to the Treaty of Indian Springs would lead to subsequent treaties in 1826 and 1827 whereby all Creek lands in Georgia were ceded to the state.

February 12, 1909

1909 Arising from the Niagara Movement, W.E.B. Du Bois and other key blacks founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The organization was incorporated in 1910.

February 12, 1933

1933 Georgia celebrated the bicentennial of the arrival of James Oglethorpe and the first colonists to Yamacraw Bluff on Feb. 12, 1733 (New Style). In honor of the event, the U.S. Post Office issued a 3-cent James Oglethorpe commemorative stamp.

February 12, 1951

Georgia towns and cities first incorporated by acts approved on Feb. 12:

1951 Lake City (Clayton County)

February 12, 1962

1962 A civil rights bus boycott began in Macon, Ga.

February 12, 1983

1983 Day-long parades and celebrations were held in Savannah marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of Georgia. As part of the Georgia’s Semiquincentenary (a term that literally U.S. means half of 500 years), the U.S. Postal Service issued a 13-cent postal card featuring a painting of Oglethorpe’s initial meeting with Tomochichi.

February 12, 1999

1999 In Washington D.C., Georgia’s two U.S. senators voted in the impeachment trial of Pres. Bill Clinton. On Dec. 19, 1998, the House of Representatives had voted two impeachment charges against Pres. Clinton: (1) that he had given "perjurious, false and misleading testimony" to a federal grand jury, and (2) that he had conspired to "prevent, obstruct and impede the administration" of justice. Conviction and removal from office required a two-thirds vote by the Senate -- something no knowledgeable observer predicted would occur on the day of the vote. Meeting in executive session, the Senate voted "not guilty" on the first count by a vote of 55-45, and tied on the second by a 50-50 vote. However, anything less than a two-thirds "guilty" vote amounted to an acquittal. As for Georgia’s two senators, on the first charge:

Sen. Paul Coverdell joined 44 other Republicans in voting "guilty", and
Sen. Max Cleland joined 44 other Democrats and 10 Republicans in voting "not guilty."
On the second charge:

Sen. Coverdell joined 50 other Republicans in voting "guilty", and
Sen. Cleland joined 45 other Democrats and 5 Republicans in voting "not guilty".
The vote marked the second time in U.S. history that a sitting president had been impeached by the House and tried by the Senate. As with the case of Pres. Andrew Johnson in 1868, both presidents were acquitted (though Johnson escaped by a single vote). However, in 1868, Georgia was not represented in Congress because of Reconstruction. So, the Feb. 12, 1999 impeachment vote marked the first occasion in history for Georgia’s senators to participate in a trial to remove a president.