March 18, 1829

1829 Confederate general William Robertson Boggs was born in Augusta, Ga. He graduated from West Point in 1853, after which he performed engineering and ordnance duties in the U.S. Army. After Georgia’s secession, Boggs resigned his U.S. commission. In Feb.1861, he was designated Chief Engineer of Georgia. Soon afterwards, he was named captain of ordnance under Confed. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at Charleston. Subsequently, Boggs performed engineering duties in Florida and Georgia. In Nov. 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general and served as Gen. Kirby Smith’s chief of staff in the Confederate Army’s Trans-Mississippi Department. After the war, Boggs returned to Georgia to practice civil engineering. From 1875-1881 he taught mechanics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Boggs died on Sept. 11, 1911 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

March 18, 1831

1831 In the case of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, filed by the Cherokees in the U.S. Supreme Court to protest efforts by Georgia to claim sovereignty over them, the high court ruled that the Cherokees were not a foreign nation as defined by the U.S. Constitution. Because of this, the U.S. Supreme Court -- though sympathetic with their situation --could not exercise original jurisdiction over the Cherokees’ lawsuit.

March 18, 1865

1865 The Congress of the Confederate States of American held its last session in Richmond, Va., and then adjourned for the final time.

March 18, 1943

1943 Gov. Ellis Arnall signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly establishing March 12th of each year as "Juliette Low-Girl Scout Day."

March 18, 1947

1947 After learning of the Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling (which would be made public the next day), Herman Talmadge gave up the governor’s office, and Lt. Governor Melvin Thompson (who also had claimed to be governor following Eugene Talmadge’s death) became official governor. Thus ended Georgia’s "Three Governors Affair."

March 18, 1953

1953 The Boston Braves announced that the franchise would be moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

March 18, 1955

1955 Meeting in Atlanta, the Georgia Educators Association announced its support of "equal but separate schools."

March 18, 1963

1963 In the case of Gray v. Sanders involving use of the county unit system to determine election results in the Georgia Democratic Primary, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that in Georgia the Democratic Primary was essentially a state election. It further struck use of the county unit system and established the famous "one person, one vote" standard for election districts -- which meant that no person’s vote in one district can count more than any other person’s vote in any similar other district.

March 18, 1976

1976 Gov. George Busbee signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly designating the following new official state symbols:

staurolite -- official mineral of Georgia
shark tooth -- official fossil of Georgia
quartz -- official gem of Georgia

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FEB
11

Today in History

1776 Royal Governor James Wright, who had been under house arrest since the patriots had taken control of Savannah, escaped to British ships in the Savannah River. read more