William Lowndes Calhoun

{{Short description|American politician (1837–1908)}} {{other people|William Calhoun}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2026}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = William Lowndes Calhoun | honorific_suffix = | image = William Lowndes Calhoun (1902) (cropped).jpg | caption = Calhoun in a 1902 publication | order = | office = Mayor of Atlanta | term_start = January 1879 | term_end = January 1881 | succeeding = | predecessor = Nedom L. Angier | successor = James W. English | constituency = | majority = | birth_date = {{birth date|1837|11|23}} | birth_place = Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1908|11|16|1837|11|23}} | death_place = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | resting_place = Oakland Cemetery | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | party = | other_party = | spouse = {{marriage|Mary J. Oliver|1857|1905|reason=died}} | father = James Calhoun | children = 6 | alma_mater = | occupation = {{hlist|Politician|lawyer|judge}} | profession =  | nickname = | allegiance = {{flag|Confederate States}} | branch = {{army|CSA}} | service_years = 1862-1865 | rank = 35px Captain | unit = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Georgia_non_official.svg}} 42nd Georgia Infantry<br>{{flagicon image|Tennessee 1861 proposed.svg}} Army of Tennessee | commands = | battles = American Civil War *Vicksburg Campaign *Atlanta campaign | awards = }}

'''William Lowndes Calhoun''' (November 23, 1837 – November 16, 1908) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Georgia who served as the 26th Mayor of Atlanta.

==Early life== William Lowndes Calhoun was born on November 23, 1837, in Decatur, Georgia, to Emma Eliza (née Dabney) and James Calhoun. His father became mayor of Atlanta.<ref name="pioneer">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pioneercitizensh00pion/page/288/mode/2up |title=Pioneer Citizens' History of Atlanta |publisher=The Pioneer Citizens' Society of Atlanta |year=1902 |pages=289–291 |via=Archive.org |access-date=2026-01-05}}{{Open access}}</ref> In 1852, he moved with his family to Atlanta.<ref name="obit">{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-col-w-l-calhoun-c/188288336/ |title=Col. W. L. Calhoun Called to Rest |date=1908-11-16 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2026-01-05}}{{Open access}}</ref> At the age of 16, he began reading law at his father's firm. He passed the bar in 1857.<ref name="pioneer"/>

==Career== Calhoun then practiced law with his father.<ref name="pioneer"/> In March 1862, Calhoun enlisted in the Confederate States Army with company K of 42nd Georgia Infantry Regiment. He became first lieutenant and was later promoted to captain. He served in Knoxville, Tennessee, and at the Siege of Vicksburg.<ref name="pioneer"/> At Vicksburg, his regiment was surrendered by John C. Pemberton on July 4, 1863.{{citation needed |date=January 2026}} He also served during the Battle of Baker's Creek and the retreat of Joseph E. Johnston. He was wounded at Battle of Resaca. After his recovery, he served in the Army of Tennessee under General Hood in the Franklin–Nashville campaign. He served to the end of the war.<ref name="pioneer"/><ref name="obit2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-col-w-l-calhoun-c/188288610/ |title=Col. W. L. Calhoun Called to Rest |date=1908-11-16 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2026-01-05}}{{Open access}}</ref>

Calhoun served in the Georgia General Assembly from 1872 to 1876. He was a member of the judiciary, corporations, and finance committees.<ref name="pioneer"/> In 1879, Calhoun was elected mayor of Atlanta. During his tenure, the city's floating debt of {{USD|600000}} went to a rate of six percent. He also saw the start of the street paving system. In 1881, he was elected as judge of the Court of Ordinary of Fulton County. He served in that role until 1897.<ref name="pioneer"/><ref name="obit2"/>

Following the war, Calhoun continued practicing with his father until his father's death in 1875. He continued practicing alone until 1881.<ref name="pioneer"/><ref name="obit2"/> From 1889 to 1894, he was president of the Confederate Veterans' Association of Fulton County, increasing the membership from 15 to 700.<ref name="pioneer"/> He was president of the Gordon Monument Association to build the Equestrian statue of John Brown Gordon in Atlanta. He served in the state militia for three years.<ref name="obit2"/>

==Personal life== Calhoun married Mary J. Oliver of southern Georgia in 1857. They had six children, Emma, Mary, Nettie, Lowndes, W. D., and J. M. His wife died in 1905.<ref name="pioneer"/><ref name="obit2"/>

Calhoun died on November 16, 1908, at his home on Washington Street in Atlanta.<ref name="obit"/><ref>[http://garrett.atlantahistorycenter.com/gdetail.php?idnum=42068 Franklin Garrett Necrology Database - Atlanta History Center]</ref> He was buried in Oakland Cemetery.<ref name="obit"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline}}

{{s-start}} {{succession box|title=Mayor of Atlanta |before=Nedom L. Angier|after=James W. English| years=January 1879{{spaced ndash}}January 1881}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, William Lowndes}} Category:1837 births Category:1908 deaths Category:People from Decatur, Georgia Category:Mayors of Atlanta Category:Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Category:Confederate States Army officers Category:People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War Category:American Civil War prisoners of war William Lowndes Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent Category:American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Category:Lawyers from Atlanta Category:Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta) Category:19th-century American judges Category:19th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)