William Lowndes Calhoun (November 23, 1837 – November 16, 1908)[1] was an American attorney and politician from the state of Georgia who served as the 26th Mayor of Atlanta. A member of the Democratic Party, Calhoun is the first in a string of Democrat mayors that lasts to the present day.
Biography
Calhoun was born in Decatur, Georgia, son of fellow Atlanta mayor James Calhoun. The family moved to Atlanta in 1852 and, at the age of sixteen, William began reading law at his father's firm. He passed the bar in 1857.
Returning to Atlanta after the war, he served in the state legislature from 1872 to 1876 and, following in his late father's footsteps, was elected Mayor of Atlanta in 1879. During his term of service, he inaugurated the city's street paving system.