George Hillyer

Hillyer resigned his captain's commission in November 1863 to become an auditor for the Western & Atlantic Railroad at the request of Governor Joseph E. Brown, who preferred a military man for the role as the railroad was the main supply route for General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army. Early in 1864, Hillyer organized the State Road Battalion (consisting mainly of railroad men) and he was placed in command of the defenses of the railroad with the rank of major. Seeing action against cavalry raiders during the Atlanta campaign, Hillyer performed well, but the railroad eventually fell to the Union Army. He and his remaining men surrendered to Federal officers on May 10, 1865.

Legal career and political office After the war, Hillyer set a law practice in Atlanta with his brother, Henry. The two worked together for a number of years before George eventually joined the law firm of Hillyer, Alexander & Lambdin.

In June 1867, at the age of 32, Hillyer married Ellen Emily Cooley, and together they undertook to raise a family, eventually having 8 children (three of whom died in infancy).

Starting in 1870, he served four years as a Democrat in the Georgia Senate, representing the 35th District, which included Fulton, Clayton, and Cobb counties. He served as the Georgia delegate to the United States Centennial Commission that planned and organized the country's Centennial celebrations and the International Exhibition of 1876. He was appointed to the Fulton County Superior Court by Governor Alfred H. Colquitt, serving from 1877 to 1883.

The city of Atlanta In 1885 Hillyer served one term as mayor of Atlanta, during which time he became an expert on municipal water services, publishing several related articles and serving on the Atlanta Water Commission for many years. Hillyer played an active role in the establishment of the Atlanta University System to provide higher education to the freed slaves. He was on the board of trustees for Spelman Baptist Seminary, as well as Vice-Chairman for the Georgia Railroad Commission.

Death and legacy He died at the age of 92 and was buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.

Writings My Gettysburg Battle Experiences (edited by Gregory A. Coco), 2005, Thomas Publications (Gettysburg, PA)