Augustus Octavius Bacon Papers

Collection

Identifier: MU-PP-0006

Staff Only

A. O. Bacon Finding Aid

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Scope and Contents

The A. O. Bacon Papers contains one letter (1864) and three diaries (1853, 1861, and 1868). The collection may have been received through Dr. Spencer King.

Dates

Creation: 1853-1868

Rights Statement

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the World Wide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.

Biographical / Historical

Augustus O. Bacon was born on October 20, 1939, in Bryan County, Georgia. He earned his B.A. (1859) and L.L.B. (1860) from the University of Georgia. He began a law practice in Atlanta, Georgia in 1860. He later joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Augustus O. Bacon married Sarah Virginia Lamar on April 19, 1864. In 1866, he moved to Macon, Georgia, to practice law. He was elected to Georgia House of Representatives in 1870 and served for 12 years, being elected as the Speaker of the House five times. He also served as a United States Senator (1895-1914). Bacon died on February 14, 1914, in Washington, D. C. His farm, located in Macon, Georgia, was bequeathed to the city of Macon to become a park, Baconsfield Park. Because his will stipulated that the park be used by white citizens only, it became the subject of two U.S. Supreme Court cases.