Dennis Hammond

Dennis F. Hammond
18th Mayor of Atlanta
In office 1871–1872
Preceded by	William Ezzard
Succeeded by	John H. James
Personal details
Born	Dennis Fletcher Hammond (1819-12-15)December 15, 1819 Edgefield County, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	October 31, 1891(1891-10-31) (aged 71) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Republican

Dennis Fletcher Hammond (December 15, 1819 – October 31, 1891) was the 18th mayor of the American city of Atlanta, Georgia. He was in office from 1871 to 1872.

Early life and education

Hammond was born in the Edgefield District of South Carolina.

Career

He moved to Georgia where he was a lawyer and, from 1855 to 1861, judge in the superior court Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit.

In Atlanta after the American Civil War, he was politically influenced by William Markham and became a Radical Republican supporting black suffrage.

When Markham refused to run for mayor, Hammond did and was able to briefly unite working-class whites to win the office. This was the last-gasp of Republican power in Reconstruction-era Atlanta.

The Hammond administration was known for its commitment to law enforcement, including enforcement of the Sunday liquor laws.^[1]

Personal life and death

After serving one term as mayor, he moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1880.. He died there a decade later.

References

1. "Atlanta's Living Mayors – Some of the gentlemen who held that position". The Atlanta Constitution. December 1, 1869. Retrieved February 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

Preceded by William Ezzard

Mayor of Atlanta 1871–1872

Succeeded by John H. James