A. O. Granger

Arthur Otis Granger (February 14, 1846 – July 30, 1914) was an American industrialist and soldier. He manufactured and installed gasworks in Philadelphia and served as general manager of the United Gas Improvement Company, before serving as president of multiple fuel and gas light companies in the United States and Canada. He was later a mining engineer and railroad executive, and was reported to be a millionaire as of 1889. He established the Etowah Iron Company in Bartow County, had mining interests in South America, and was a business partner to Joseph M. Gazzam.

During the American Civil War, Granger was a private in the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, and became the secretary to General William Tecumseh Sherman. Granger served as part of the March to the Sea, and wrote the papers for General Joseph E. Johnston's surrender in 1865. Granger was an amateur astronomer, and his home included the largest observatory and telescope in the southeastern United States. He was a life member of the Franklin Institute, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Royal Society of Arts.

Early life and military career Arthur Otis Granger was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 14, 1846. His parents were Sarah Rowan and the Reverend Arthur Granger who had Scottish heritage, the latter of whom died before Granger's birth.

At age 16 on September 8, 1862, As a clerk, he served under General Washington Lafayette Elliott. Granger wrote that he was made a "confidential clerk" to Sherman upon arriving in Savannah, Georgia, and that he also served as Sherman's "private orderly" until his discharge in July 1865.

Industry and business career After the war, Granger became an entrepreneur and mining engineer. His A. O. Granger & Company of Philadelphia, was a subsidiary of United Gas Improvement Company as of 1883, and installed Lowe's process carburetted water gas devices. and was president of the Welsbach Light Company, and the Chautauqua Lake Railroad Company as of 1888. He once operated a mercantile business in Helena, Montana, and was reported to be a millionaire as of 1889.

During his Civil War service, Granger became familiar with the area near Cartersville.

In October 1893, Granger operated companies in Montreal and Halifax. In the same year, he was suspended as general manager of the Auer Incandescent Light Company in Montreal, amid charges that he forged power of attorney on customs documents for supplies imported from the United States. Later in the year, he was re-elected manager of the company, began a libel suit against the stockholders who wanted to oust him, and a criminal suit charging conspiracy against him. He later served as president of the company .

Granger retired from business for health reasons. They had six children, including five sons and one daughter. His second son William, was a businessman in Montreal, general manager and secretary of the Auer Incandescent Light Manufacturing Company,

The Grangers moved to Cartersville in 1890, He expanded his two-room house to include three floors and an observatory.

Granger died on July 30, 1914, in Philadelphia. He had taken a trip to New York City a month prior to his death, then took ill and briefly recovered.

Honors and legacy Granger was a life member of the Franklin Institute, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Royal Society of Arts.

He was posthumously recognized with a scholarship in his name, donated by his widow at the Tallulah Falls Industrial School. His telescope was sold to a traveling circus, and later purchased by the University of Texas at Austin. His observatory was moved to Agnes Scott College in Atlanta.