Augustus O. Bacon

Augustus O. Bacon
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office
August 14, 1911 – February 15, 1913
Preceded byWilliam P. Frye
Succeeded byJacob Harold Gallinger
United States Senator
from Georgia
In office
March 4, 1895 – February 14, 1914
Preceded byPatrick Walsh
Succeeded byWilliam S. West
Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
1873-1874 1877-1881
Preceded byJoseph B. Cumming (first term)
Thomas Hardeman Jr. (second term)
Succeeded byThomas Hardeman Jr. (first term)
Louis F. Garrard (second term)
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
1871–1886
Personal details
Born(1839-10-20)October 20, 1839
Bryan County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedFebruary 14, 1914(1914-02-14) (aged 74)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Georgia
University of Georgia School of Law
Military service
Allegiance Confederate States
Branch/service Confederate States Army
Rank Captain
Unit9th Georgia Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Augustus Octavius Bacon (October 20, 1839 – February 14, 1914) was a Confederate soldier, segregationist, and U.S. politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. senator from Georgia, becoming the first senator to be directly elected after the ratification of the 17th Amendment, and rose to the position of president pro tempore of the United States Senate.[1] Controversy arose during the American Civil Rights Movement over a provision in his will that created a racially segregated park in his hometown of Macon, which led to two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. He was a slave owner.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-19, retrieved 2022-01-23