Benjamin F. Conley

A portrait of Benjamin Conley by Edward Jackson

Benjamin F. Conley (March 1, 1815 – January 10, 1886) was an American politician from the U.S. State of Georgia, who served as the 47th Governor of Georgia from 1871 to 1872. He also previously served as the mayor of Augusta from 1857 to 1859.[1]

Biography

Conley was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1815 and moved to Savannah, Georgia, in his youth. He died in 1886 in Atlanta in an area known at the time as West End. Conley was buried at Augusta's Magnolia Cemetery.

Political career

Conley's previous political service included the office of mayor of Augusta, Georgia, from 1857 to 1859. Conley served as the 47th Governor of Georgia from October 30, 1871 to January 12, 1872, during Reconstruction and was the second Republican governor of Georgia. Conley was serving as the president of the Georgia Senate when his predecessor, Rufus B. Bullock, was forced to resign. As the Senate president, Conley assumed the governorship and served for only two months. Conley was the last Republican to serve as governor of Georgia until 2003, when Sonny Perdue was elected.

References

  1. "Georgia Governor Benjamin F. Conley". National Governors Association. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

External links

Preceded by
Rufus Bullock
Governor of Georgia
October 30, 1871 – January 12, 1872
Succeeded by
James Milton Smith