Samuel M. Inman

Samuel Martin Inman (February 19, 1843 – January 12, 1915) was a prominent cotton merchant and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia, who is best known for the neighborhood in Atlanta that bears his name. Inman was also commemorated in the name of the Samuel M. Inman Elementary School, and subsequently Middle School in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood from 1929-2020.

Early life Inman was born February 19, 1843, in Dandridge, Tennessee. He was the son of Shadrach W. Inman and Jane Martin Inman. Inman was educated at Maury Academy and Maryville College before entering Princeton College. At the age of 18, he joined Company K of the Confederate Army's First Tennessee Cavalry during the American Civil War. They also formed the Atlanta & Edgewood Street Railroad to provide convenient transportation to the new neighborhood. The Inmans also invested very profitably in Atlanta real estate, streetcar lines, banking, and insurance, and eventually became involved in Atlanta politics and charitable organizations.

Samuel's brother John H. Inman was the head of the investment company Inman, Swann, & Co. of New York City and president of the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company, a holding company which controlled several railroads that served Atlanta, including the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, and the Central of Georgia Railroad, totalling 11,000 miles of track throughout the Southeast. John was president of the Richmond and Danville for two years, but was forced to resign on account of charges of financial mismanagement. The other brother, Hugh T. Inman, owned the Kimball House Hotel in Atlanta. Other relatives involved in the family businesses were William H. Inman and Walker Inman, uncles to Samuel and his brothers.

Georgia School of Technology

Inman was instrumental in the early days of the Georgia School of Technology, now known as the Georgia Institute of Technology. First, he secured funding for the school in the amount of $5,000 of his own money and $75,000 plus an annuity of $2,500 from the city. He also helped secure the land for the school and was appointed to the board of commissioners to help oversee some of the construction. Some stated that the school was better equipped than any other technical school at the time.