Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-26
COMES To
EX-GOVERNOR
NORTHERN
Noted Georgia Legislator, Ed
uCator and ChurChman Dies
After Long Illness.

Ex-Governor William J. NCrtler. ed
. ucator, churchman and statesman. did
. tnis forenoon At 11:I5 O'Clock. His con
dirion had been regarded as critical for
. some time and hope Of his recovery
was abandoned Sunday.
I Funeral services for me former gov
. crnor VIII be conducted tomorrow
/ forenoon a. II o'clock in the Ponce
. DeLeon Avenue Baptist church. q
which ne was a member Rev. A. Il.
. Gordon. the pastor, Will conduct the
/ services, assisted by Rev. John E.
/ White. OF the Second Baptist church.
I The last rites Of the distinguished
I Georgian will be simple The body viii
not lie in state at the capitol under the
I honorary military guard accorded the
/ dead Of the states former executives,
/ but will be conveyed directly from the
| church after the services TO the OAK
1 land cemetery, where the interment viii
/ take place.
/ The deacons Of the church will act
! as pallbearers They are J. W. Wills,
! George W. NcCarty. Rutherford Lips
/ comb, George VI. Brown. Fred B. Law,
1 A. B. Caldwell and f. c. Galloway.
The escort Of honorary paIlbearers
/ will include the deacons Of the First
and Second Baptist churches, Governor
! Joseph NJ Brown. Governor-elect John
| VI. Slaton and state house officials.
The death Of Ex-Governor Northen
leaves olny two former governors sur
vivlng-senator Hoke Smith and H. D.
Mcdaniel.
Known in Church Circles.
Ex-Governor Northen was scarcely
less prominent in the educational life Of
the state than he was in the purely
political and his name was known
throughout the country in religious cir
cles.
He was the ninth Of eleven children
and was born on his fathers pianta-
ton in Jones county July 9, 1885. When
the boy was five, mis- father, Peter
Northen. moved 10 Penheld, Greene
county From early childhood until ne
was graduated from Mercer university
at the age Of eighteen, he was a con-
slant and atudious attendant at school.
He went 10 Mount Zion in 1854 and
founded school Of his own, entering
upon a trying struggle in which ne won
both experience and reputation.
In less than two years he went as
assistant 10 Dr. Carlisle P. Beman in
the latter's celebrated high school and
in a short time succeeded to the man
agement. He married December 19,
1860. Martha Moss Neel, daughter Of
Thomas Neel. A son, Thomas H. North
en-. died in 1904, and a daughter, Annie
Belle Northen, the only other child, still
is living
Left School For Farm.
War interrupted his teaching, but
after the close Of hostilities he returned
10 Mount Zion. His first experience in
politics came when he was chosen a
delegate to the Democratic state con-
vention Of 1857. the first political con-
vention In Georgia after the war He
moved his school to Kirkwood in 1871,
but broken health soon compelled him
to abandon the school for the farm.
where he became an authority on agri-
cultural subjects. He formed county
and state farmers organizations and
was president Of the State Agricultural
Society and later Of the Young Farmers
Club Of the Southern States.
His first public service was in the
legislature Of 1877 and 1873. He was
reelected for the term Of 1850 and 1881
and was a member Of the committee
which investigated the bonds Of the
Northeastern Railroad. He was a mem
Der Of the state senate In 1884 and 1855
and was chairman Of the educationa!
committee An ardent prohibitionist.
he was the author Of the local option
law that enabled III counties out Of l37
to prohibit the sale Of whisky.
Became Governor Twice.
He vas elected governor in 1890 and
in 1892 was renominated and elected BY
a majority Of .s0s over W. L. Peek,
Populst. AS the chief executive OF the
state he firmly opposed mob violence,
| encouraged every form Of industry and
manufacturing. advocated a state boar
Of health with plenty OF power. worked
for road betterment. the Improvement
of the common and normal schools and
the reorganization Of the state military.
He united with the Baptist church At
Penfield in 1888 and within short time
| became prominent in religious work He
was president Of the National Baptist
| Congress at the Augusta session of 1893
and president Of the Baptist Educa-
tional Society when it met in Washing
ton in 1894. For more than 40 years he
was a trustee of Mercer University He
also was charter member and chair
man of the board of deacons and
| teacher in the adult Bible class of the
Ponce DeLeon Avenue Baptist church
since its founding in 1904.
Death Grieves Governor.
Expressions Of sorrow were general
at the capitol when the news Of the
death reached there this afternoon.
Governor Brown had kept constantly
informed Of the condition of ex-Gov-
ernor Northen and when the intelu-
gence arrived that the end had come he
issued the following proclamation in
which he proffered to the family the
usual official and military honors that
are accorded as a tribute to those who