Allison Nelson
9th Mayor of Atlanta
In office January 26, 1855 – July 6, 1855
Preceded by	William M. Butt
Succeeded by	John Glen (acting)
Personal details
Born	(1822-03-11)March 11, 1822 Fayette County (present-day Fulton County), Georgia, U.S.
Died	October 7, 1862(1862-10-07) (aged 40) Prairie County (present-day Lonoke County), Arkansas, C.S.
Cause of death	Typhus
Resting place	Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. 34°44′15.3″N 92°16′42.5″W / 34.737583°N 92.278472°W / 34.737583; -92.278472
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Nelson ​ (m. 1840)​
Military service
Allegiance	United States Confederate States of America
Branch/service	United States Volunteers  Confederate States Army
Years of service	1846–1847 (USV) 1861–1862 (CSA)
Rank	Captain (USV) Brigadier-General (CSA)
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War

Allison Nelson (March 11, 1822 – October 7, 1862) was the ninth mayor of Atlanta, serving from January until July 1855, when he resigned from office. He died of disease in Prairie County (present-day Lonoke County), Arkansas, 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.

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 the 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 S. Ross, and in 1860 was elected to the legislature.

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 – Williamson H. Goodwin. Nelson later served as a brigadier general under General Narciso López, in a failed attempt to free Cuba from Spain. He organized and served as colonel of the 10th Texas Infantry Regiment in the Confederate States Army. He was later promoted brigadier general but contracted typhus and died. He was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery (established 1897) in Lonoke County, Arkansas, is named after him.

• List of American Civil War generals
• List of mayors of Atlanta

• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
• Allison Nelson from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Camp Nelson Cemetery
• TDGH - March 11

• Allison Nelson at Find a Grave
• Birthplace of Allison Nelson historical marker
• Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry

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