Eben Hillyer

Eben Hillyer (August 12, 1832 – December 20, 1910) was a physician of the American South. Born during the Antebellum period, he was a representative of one of the old and influential families of Georgia, which state was always his home. He served as professor in the institutes of medicine at the Atlanta Medical College (now Emory University School of Medicine) and was also president of the Rome Railroad.

Early life and education Eben Hillyer was born in Athens, Georgia, August 12, 1832. His parents were Junius and Jane Selina (Watkins) Hillyer, the former born in Wilkes County, Georgia, April 23, 1807, and the latter in Greene County, Georgia, May 17, 1807. All four great-grandfathers of Eben were patriot soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, namely: Dr. Asa Hillyer, Thomas Watkins, Joel Early and Capt. John Freeman. George Walton, a great-uncle of Eben, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and Peter Early, governor of Georgia during the War of 1812, was also a great-uncle, as was Robert Watkins, one of the prime factors in formulating the state government of Georgia and in the writing of its first constitution. Junius Hillyer was a man of distinction in his day and generation and honored the state of Georgia by his life and service. He served on the bench of the superior court, was a member of Congress two terms and was solicitor of the United States treasury in Buchanan's Administration. which position he retained for thirteen years, in connection with which he was identified with the executive control of other railroad systems to which the Rome line was attached.