George Washington Towns
George Washington Towns was born in Wilkes County Georgia May 4, 1801, and died in Macon Georgia, July 15, 1854. A lawyer and resident of Talbotton, Georgia, Towns served as state legislator, U.S. Congressman, and Governor of Georgia (1847- 51). During his administration he led the fight for the amelioration of the slave code, obtained the adoption of ad valorem system of taxation, completed the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and became an early advocate of free public schools. Towns wrote Georgia`s inscription on the Washington Monument: `The Constitution As It IS, the Union As It Was.`
GHM 130-9 Georgia Historical Commission 1961
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Ken Moser.