Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson

Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson
Susan Milton Atkinson, in an 1896 publication.
First Lady of Georgia
In role October 27, 1894 – October 29, 1898
Governor	William Yates Atkinson
Preceded by	Martha Northen
Succeeded by	Eugenia Candler
Personal details
Born	Susan Cobb Milton 1860 (1860) Greenwood, Florida, U.S.
Died	1942 (aged 81–82)
Spouse	William Yates Atkinson ​ ​ (m. 1880; died 1899)​
Children	6
Relatives	John Milton (grandfather)
Alma mater	Lucy Cobb Institute
Occupation	Educator

Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson (1860 — 1942) was an American educator who was influential in promoting education to women in Georgia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As the wife of William Yates Atkinson, the Governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898, she used her position as the state First Lady to advocate for state funding for women to attend college.[1] After her time at Georgia College, she went into the insurance business.[1] In her later life, Atkinson served as the postmistress in Newnan—a title bestowed upon her by President Theodore Roosevelt himself.[2]

Early life and education

Susan was born in Greenwood, Florida.[3] She was the granddaughter of Florida governor John Milton, so Susan was exposed at a young age to the life of politics.[1]

She attended the Lucy Cobb Institute for college, where she also met her husband.[1]

Georgia College and State University

Susan Atkinson was encouraged by one of her friends, Julia Flisch, to help open another college for women in Georgia. In 1889, Atkinson created a petition for the state of Georgia to open a college, so her husband presented a bill to the House of Representatives that finally passed.[2] After Milledgeville was selected as the site for the college, it was founded in 1890 as Georgia Normal and Industrial College. The school's name was later changed to Georgia State College for Women and then finally to Georgia College & State University.[1] When the college was founded, William was named Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Susan became the President of the Board of Visitors.[1]

Personal life and legacy

Susan Cobb Milton married William Yates Atkinson in 1880. She was widowed when William died in 1899. The Atkinsons had six children together. One of their sons, William Yates Atkinson Jr., became a justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Georgia Normal and Industrial College honored the Atkinsons by naming a building in their honor.[2] Atkinson Hall is now the building for the School of Business at Georgia College.[1]

References

1. "Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson". Georgia Women of Achievement. March 1996. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
2. Arnold, Edwin T. (2009). What Virtue There is in Fire. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0820336169.
3. "Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson". Lineage Book - National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 24: 43. 1907. Retrieved January 3, 2014.