Georgia Women of Achievement

The Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Georgia for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The concept was first proposed by Rosalynn Carter in 1988. The first induction was in 1992 at Wesleyan College, and has continued annually. The induction ceremonies are held each year during March, designated as Women's History Month. The organization consists of a Board of Trustees and a Board of Selections.^[1] Nominees must have been dead no less than ten years. Georgians, or those associated with Georgia, are selected based on the individual's impact on society. Nominations are proposed through documentation and an online nomination form, and must be submitted prior to October of any given year. GWA has traveling exhibits and speakers available upon request.^[2]

Inductees

Georgia Women of Achievement

Name	Image	Birth–Death	Year	Area of achievement	Ref(s)
Andrews, Eliza Frances (Fanny)Eliza Frances (Fanny) Andrews		(1840–1931)	2006	Botanist	[3]
Anthony, Madeleine KikerMadeleine Kiker Anthony		(1903–1989)	2003	Historic preservationist who helped save the old courthouse on Dahlonega, Georgia, now the Dahlonega Gold Museum Historic Site	[4]
Atkinson, Susan Cobb MiltonSusan Cobb Milton Atkinson		(1860–1942)	1996	First Lady of Georgia, wife of Governor William Yates Atkinson; proponent of a state-supported college for women	[5]
Bailey, Sarah RandolphSarah Randolph Bailey		(1885–1972)	2012	Educator who organized the YWCA-sponsored Girl Reserves for African-American girls	[6]
Bandy, Dicksie BradleyDicksie Bradley Bandy		(1890–1971)	1993	Philanthropist, businesswoman, campaigned to restore the historic Cherokee Chief Vann House Historic Site	[7]
Barrow, Elfrida De RenneElfrida De Renne Barrow		(1884–1970)	2008	Author, poet	[8]
Beasley, MathildaMathilda Beasley		(1832–1903)	2004	Former slave, Georgia's first African-American Catholic nun	[9]
Berry, Martha McChesneyMartha McChesney Berry		(1866–1942)	1992	Founder of Berry College	[10]
Black, Nellie PetersNellie Peters Black		(1851–1919)	1996	Women's issues organizer and activist	[11]
Bosomworth, Mary MusgroveMary Musgrove Bosomworth		(1700–1765)	1993	Creek Indian woman who served as an interpreter for James Oglethorpe	[12]
Butler, Selena SloanSelena Sloan Butler		(1872–1964)	1995	Founder of first African-American PTA	[13]
Bynum, Margaret O.Margaret O. Bynum		(1921–1982)	2007	Educator	[14]
Carter, Lillian GordyLillian Gordy Carter		(1898–1983)	2011	Mother of President Jimmy Carter; Peace Corps worker; nurse; businesswoman	[15]
Cobb, Helena Maud BrownHelena Maud Brown Cobb		(1869–1922)	2003	Missionary, educator	[16]
Coleman, Julia L.Julia L. Coleman		(1889–1973)	2001	Educator	[17]
Coley, Mary Francis HillMary Francis Hill Coley		(1900–1966)	2011	Midwife, subject of All My Babies	[18]
Connell, Wessie GertrudeWessie Gertrude Connell		(1915–1987)	2002	Librarian	[19]
Craft, Ellen SmithEllen Smith Craft		(1826–1891)	1996	Escaped slave, educator	[20]
Davis, Sallie EllisSallie Ellis Davis		(1877–1950)	2000	Educator	[21]
Dillon, Julia LesterJulia Lester Dillon		(1871–1959)	2003	Landscape architect	[22]
Dull, Henrietta StanleyHenrietta Stanley Dull		(1863–1964)	2013	Caterer, journalist, author (as S. R. Dull) of Southern Cooking	[23]
Durham, Cassandra PickettCassandra Pickett Durham		(1824–1885)	1993	First woman in Georgia to earn a doctor of medicine degree	[24]
Evans, Lettie PateLettie Pate Evans		(1872–1953)	1998	Philanthropist, on board of directors of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co.	[25]
Felton, Rebecca LatimerRebecca Latimer Felton		(1835–1930)	1997	First woman to serve in the United States Senate; women's rights advocate	[26]
Flisch, JuliaJulia Flisch		(1861–1941)	1994	Journalist, women's rights advocate, educator	[27]
Foster, Edith LenoraEdith Lenora Foster		(1906–1996)	2007	Librarian, writer, historian	[28]
Gay, Mary Ann HarrisMary Ann Harris Gay		(1829–1918)	1997	Author	[29]
Graves, Amilee ChastainAmilee Chastain Graves		(1910–1983)	2008	Publisher; first woman to hold elected office in Habersham County	[30]
Hamilton, Grace TownsGrace Towns Hamilton		(1907–1992)	2006	First African-American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly	[31]
Harpst, EthelEthel Harpst		(1883–1967)	2012	Founder of the Ethel Harpst Home for children	[32]
Harris, Corra Mae WhiteCorra Mae White Harris		(1869–1935)	1996	Author	[33]
Harris, Julia CollierJulia Collier Harris		(1885–1967)	1998	Journalist, civic leader, editor	[34]
Hart, Allie CarrollAllie Carroll Hart		(1913–2003)	2015	Worked to preserve government records and photographs; established the Georgia Archives Institute for professional development; helped create the Southeast Archives and Records Conference; Faithful Service Award 1971 from Gov. Jimmy Carter, Outstanding Achievement Award from the Georgia Trust in 1997 and 2000, Brenau University Alumni Hall of Fame 2002	[35]
Hart, Nancy MorganNancy Morgan Hart		(1735–1830)	1997	Namesake of Hart County; frontier woman, American patriot, spy for the colonial army during the American War of Independence	[36]
Haygood, Laura AskewLaura Askew Haygood		(1845–1900)	2000	Educator, missionary	[37]
Hays, Louise FrederickLouise Frederick Hays		(1881–1951)	2004	Historian, director Georgia Department of Archives and History	[38]
Hillhouse, Sarah PorterSarah Porter Hillhouse		(1763–1831)	2006	First woman editor and printer in Georgia	[39]
Hope, Lugenia BurnsLugenia Burns Hope		(1871–1947)	1996	Social reformer	[40]
Howard, May duBignon StilesMay duBignon Stiles Howard		(1894–1983)	2011	Health care	[41]
Hunter, Anna ColquittAnna Colquitt Hunter		(1892–1985)	1995	Historic preservationist	[42]
Jewett, Mary GregoryMary Gregory Jewett		(1908–1976)	2013	Founder and first President of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation	[43]
Kaufman, RhodaRhoda Kaufman		(1888–1956)	1998	Social activist	[44]
Laney, Lucy CraftLucy Craft Laney		(1854–1933)	1992	Educator, hospital administrator	[45]
Lipscomb, Mary AnnMary Ann Lipscomb		(1848–1918)	2010	Educator	[46]
Logan, Carrie SteeleCarrie Steele Logan		(1829–1900)	1998	Founded Carrie Steele Orphans' Home	[47]
Longstreet, Helen DortchHelen Dortch Longstreet		(1863–1962)	2004	Social activist	[48]
Low, Juliette GordonJuliette Gordon Low		(1860–1927)	1992	Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA	[49]
Mankin, Helen DouglasHelen Douglas Mankin		(1894–1956)	2007	First woman elected to the United States Congress from Georgia	[50]
Matthews, Sara BranhamSara Branham Matthews		(1888–1962)	2007	Scientist who discovered a treatment for spinal meningitis	[51]
McCullers, CarsonCarson McCullers		(1917–1967)	1994	Author	[52]
McEachern, Lula DobbsLula Dobbs McEachern		(1874–1949)	2002	Educator, missionary, philanthropist	[53]
McIntire, Lucy BarrowLucy Barrow McIntire		(1886–1975)	1997	Civic activist	[54]
McKane, Alice WoodbyAlice Woodby McKane		(1865–1948)	2005	First female doctor in Savannah	[55]
Michael, Moina BelleMoina Belle Michael		(1869–1944)	1999	Originated the idea of using poppies to remember the war dead; honored with a United States postage stamp in 1948	[56]
Miller, Caroline PaffordCaroline Pafford Miller		(1903–1992)	2009	Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1934 for her first novel, Lamb in His Bosom, the first Georgian to win the Pulitzer for Fiction.	[57]
Mitchell, MargaretMargaret Mitchell		(1900–1949)	1994	Author of Gone with the Wind	[58]
Mosley, Ruth HartleyRuth Hartley Mosley		(1886–1975)	1994	Philanthropist	[59]
Murphy, Sarah McLendonSarah McLendon Murphy		(1892–1954)	2004	Children's activist	[60]
Myrick, Susan DowdellSusan Dowdell Myrick		(1893–1978)	2008	Journalist, technical advisor for Gone with the Wind movie	[61]
Napier, Viola RossViola Ross Napier		(1881–1962)	1993	Member Georgia House of Representatives	[62]
Oliver, Beulah RuckerBeulah Rucker Oliver		(1888–1963)	2012	Educator	[63]
O'Connor, FlanneryFlannery O'Connor		(1925–1964)	1992	Author	[64]
Pape, Nina AndersonNina Anderson Pape		(1869–1944)	2005	Educator	[65]
Pauley, Frances FreebornFrances Freeborn Pauley		(1905–2003)	2015	League of Women Voters; President of the DeKalb League; Georgia League President; Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Human Relations; activist with the Office of Civil Rights who worked to implement the Civil Rights Act of 1964	[66]
Powers, HarrietHarriet Powers		(1837–1910)	2009	Quilt maker, creator of the Bible Quilt now in the possession of the National Museum of American History	[67]
Raines, HazelHazel Raines		(1916–1956)	1995	First woman in Georgia to earn a pilot's license (private license, and commercial license with Eastern Air Lines), stunt pilot, Lieutenant of Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II, flew with the (British) Air Transport Auxiliary, trained Brazilian air students, recalled into active duty to fly in the Korean War, inducted into Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame	[68]
Rainey, Gertrude Pridgett "Ma"Gertrude Pridgett "Ma" Rainey		(1886–1939)	1993	Blues singer	[69]
Rankin, Jeannette PickeringJeannette Pickering Rankin		(1880–1973)	2005	First woman elected to the United States House of Representatives	[70]
Sibley, CelestineCelestine Sibley		(1914–1999)	2010	Journalist	[71]
Smith, Lillian EugeniaLillian Eugenia Smith		(1897–1966)	1999	Author of Strange Fruit, a 1944 novel about interracial love	[72]
Strickland, Alice HarrellAlice Harrell Strickland		(1859–1947)	2002	Georgia's first woman mayor	[73]
Taylor, Rebecca StilesRebecca Stiles Taylor		(1879–1958)	2014	First president of the Savannah chapter of the National Association of Colored Women	[74]
Thomas, Ella Gertrude ClantonElla Gertrude Clanton Thomas		(1834–1907)	2014	Memoirist	[75]
Tubman, Emily Harvie ThomasEmily Harvie Thomas Tubman		(1794–1885)	1994	Founder of the first public high school for girls in Augusta	[76]
Usher, Bazoline EstelleBazoline Estelle Usher		(1885–1992)	2014	Atlanta’s first Supervisor of Negro Schools	[77]
Whitener, Catherine EvansCatherine Evans Whitener		(1880–1964)	2001	Revived the textile art of tufting into a profitable business	[78]
Wilburn, Leila RossLeila Ross Wilburn		(1885–1967)	2003	Georgia's first registered female architect	[79]
Williams, MadridMadrid Williams		(1911–1993)	2010	First female president of the National Association of Bar Executives	[80]
Wilson, Ellen Louise AxsonEllen Louise Axson Wilson		(1860–1914)	2000	First Lady of the United States, first wife of President Woodrow Wilson	[81]
Woodruff, Nell Kendall HodgsonNell Kendall Hodgson Woodruff		(1892–1968)	2015	American Red Cross; volunteer; first female member of the Emory Hospital Administration Committee; Eisenhower appointee to attend the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland; created the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing	[82]
Woodward, Emily BarneliaEmily Barnelia Woodward		(1885–1970)	2004	Journalist	[83]
Wylie, Lollie Belle MooreLollie Belle Moore Wylie		(1858–1923)	2013	Writer	[84]
Yarn, Jane HurtJane Hurt Yarn		(1924–1995)	2009	Environmentalist, conservationist	[85]

Footnotes

References

• Amerson, Anne Dismukes (2006). Dahlonega: A Brief History. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN 978-1-59629-130-0. 
• Anderson, Alan (2006). Remembering Americus, Georgia: Essays on Southern Life. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN 1-59629-131-1. 
• Arnold, Edwin T. (2009). "What Virtue There Is in Fire": Ultural Memory and the Lynching of Sam Hose. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 978-0-8203-2891-1. 
• Boyer, Paul S.; James, Janet Wilson; James, Janet Wilson (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 1. A-F. Cambridge NA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-62734-2. 
• Case, Sarah (2009). Ann Short Chirhart & Betty Wood, ed. Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3900-9. 
• Ferris, Marcie Cohen (2014). The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-1768-8. 
• Goode-Walker, Vaughnette; Sheehy, Barry; Wallace, Cindy (2011). Civil War Savannah. Savannah, Immortal City. Austin, TX: Emerald Book Company. ISBN 978-1-934572-70-2. 
• Hightower-Langston, Donna (2002). A to Z of American Women Leaders and Activists. New York, NY: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4468-9. 
• Marter, Joan M. (2011). The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533579-8. 
• Smith, Jessie Carney (1996). Notable Black American Women. Detroit, MI: Gale Research. ISBN 978-0-8103-9177-2. 
• Tamasy, Robert (2010). Tufting Legacies: Cobble Brothers to Card-Monroe: The Story of the Men Who Revolutionized the Carpet Industry. Iuniverse Inc. ISBN 978-1-4502-5892-0. 
• Thompson, Joyce E.; Varney, Helen (2016). A History of Midwifery in the United States: The Midwife Said Fear Not. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC. ISBN 978-0-8261-2537-8. 
• Tinling, Marion (1986). Women Remembered: A Guide to Landmarks of Women's History in the United States. New York, NY: Greenwood Press  – via Questia (subscription required) . ISBN 0-313-23984-3. 

Further information

• Mary Francis Hill Coley (2007). All My Babies : A Midwife's Own Story (DVD). Image Entertainment. OCLC 141251448. 
• Craft, Ellen; Craft, William (2012). Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom. Lanham, MD: Start Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-62558-532-5. 
• Hawkins, Regina Trice (1996). Hazel Jane Raines, Pioneer Lady of Flight. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554-532-8. 
• Myrick, Susan; Harwell, Richard Barksdale (1982). White Columns in Hollywood: Reports from the Gone With the Wind Sets. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554-044-6. 
• Rouse, Jacqueline Anne (1989). Lugenia Burns Hope, Black Southern Reformer. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-1082-4. 
• Spritzer, Lorraine Nelson (1982). The Belle of Ashby Street: Helen Douglas Mankin and Georgia Politics. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3254-3. 
• Spritzer, Lorraine Nelson; Bergmark, Jean B (1997). Grace Towns Hamilton and the Politics of Southern Change. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-1889-9. 

External links

• Georgia Women of Achievement