Allison Nelson

Allison Nelson
Mayor of Atlanta
In office
January 1855 – July 1855
Preceded by William Butt
Succeeded by John Glen
Personal details
Born March 11, 1822
Fulton County, Georgia
Died October 7, 1862
Austin, Arkansas
Resting place Little Rock, Arkansas
Nationality  United States
Political party Democratic
Profession Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance  Confederate States
Service/branch  Confederate States Army
Years of service 1861-1862
Rank Brigadier General (CSA)

Allison Nelson (March 11, 1822 – October 7, 1862) was the ninth mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.

His father, John B. Nelson, was an early DeKalb County settler who operated Nelson's Ferry across the Chattahoochee River until murdered by John W. Davis in 1825.

During the Mexican-American War, Nelson served as a captain in the Kennesaw Rangers with another future mayor, Cicero C. Hammock, as well as the father of mayor John B. Goodwin – Private Williamson H. Goodwin. Nelson later served as a brigadier general under General Narciso López, in a failed attempt to free Cuba from Spain.

In a close election for mayor, Nelson, running as a Democrat, defeated the Know Nothing candidate, Ira O. McDaniel, but resigned in July when the city council reduced a fine he had levied on two young men for destroying city property, thus leaving John Glen as acting mayor.

Nelson left for Kansas during the border disputes, then moved to Meridian, Texas, where he was involved with Indian affairs, serving under Lawrence Sullivan Ross and in 1860 was elected to the state legislature. During the American Civil War he served as a brigadier general in the Confederate army until he contracted typhus in September 1862 and died a month later. He was buried in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Namesake

Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery in Cabot, Arkansas is named in his honor.

See also

References

External Links

Preceded by
William M. Butt		 Mayor of Atlanta
January,1855 – July 6, 1855 		Succeeded by
John Glen (acting)


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