Walthall Robertson "Cap" Joyner (June 30, 1854January 5, 1925) was the 40th Mayor of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Biography

Born in

Cobb County, Georgia Cobb County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766, ...

, he moved to Atlanta at a young age and began as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 15. In 1872, at the age of 18, he was made assistant chief, the first of many promotions. He was fire chief of Atlanta from 1885 to 1906 until becoming mayor and the first southerner President of the

International Association of Fire Chiefs The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is a non-profit network of more than 12,000 fire chiefs and emergency officers in over 30 countries. The Association was established in 1873 with John S. Damrell as president. It is headquarter ...

. He was Fire Chief when the Markham House burned to the ground. He defeated

Thomas Goodwin Thomas Goodwin ( Rollesby, Norfolk, 5 October 160023 February 1680), known as "the Elder", was an English Puritan theologian and preacher, and an important leader of religious Independents. He served as chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, and was app ...

(incumbent mayor

James G. Woodward James G. Woodward (January 14, 1845August 29, 1923) was an American newspaperman and politician, having served as the 36th, 39th and 43rd Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. Woodward made his living as printer through the newsrooms of the ''Atlanta Jou ...

didn't run) in 1907 and under his leadership a memorial was made of the

Wren's Nest The Wren's Nest is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, north west of the town centre of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. It is one of the most important geological locations in Britain. ...

after

Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a plantation during his t ...

's death. During the

Great Atlanta fire of 1917 The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 began just after noon on 21 May 1917 in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta, Georgia. It is unclear just how the fire started, but it was fueled by hot temperatures and strong winds which propelled the fire. The fire, ...

, Joyner was the State Fire Marshal of Georgia and led the firefighters that came to assist from outlying cities.Campbell, p.45

References

early career
* Campbell, Steve B., "The Great Fire of Atlanta, May 21, 1917", ''

Atlanta Historical Bulletin ''Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South'' was a publication of the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Historical Society. It was established in 1927 with one issue per year as the ''Atlanta Historical Bulletin''. In 1937, the journal ...

'', Vol. XIII, No. 2 (June, 1968), p. 9-48

Notes

1854 births 1925 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Mayors of Atlanta American fire chiefs International Association of Fire Chiefs {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub