William Washington Gordon II
General William Washington Gordon II (October 14, 1834 – September 11, 1912) was a Confederate captain in the American Civil War, later serving as a brigadier general in the United States Army during the Spanish–American War.
William Washington Gordon II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1884–1889 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 14, 1834 Savannah, Georgia |
| Died | September 11, 1912 (aged 77) White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia |
| Resting place | Laurel Grove Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Eleanor Lytle Kinzie
(m. 1857) |
| Children | 6, including Juliette Gordon Low |
| Parent | William Washington Gordon (father) |
| Education | Yale University |
| Occupation | Military officer, politician |
| Signature | .png.webp){kind=small} |
Life
William Washington Gordon II was born in Savannah, Georgia on October 14, 1834, the eldest son of Senator William Washington Gordon of Georgia.[1] He graduated B.A. from Yale University in 1854, before returning to Savannah to become a cotton and rice broker, forming the firm of Tison & Gordon in 1856.[2]
Commissioned into the Georgia Hussars as a lieutenant at the outset of the American Civil War in 1861, Gordon fought with distinction being promoted captain and then adjutant, receiving his only wound at Lovejoy's Station after the Battle of Jonesboro (1864).
Gordon then returned to his family's cotton plantation, becoming chairman of the Savannah Cotton Exchange and vice-president of the Merchants' National Bank, as well as a founding director of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company. He was elected to the Georgia Assembly 1884–89 and served as commanding officer of the State Militia, being appointed in 1891 a brigadier general of the US Army.[1][3]
He died in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on September 11, 1912, and was buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah.[4]
Family
Gordon married Eleanor Lytle Kinzie, younger daughter of Colonel John Harris Kinzie, on December 21, 1857.[1] They had six children:
- Major William Washington Gordon III (1866–1932);
- Colonel George Arthur Gordon (1872–1947);
- Eleanor Kinzie Gordon (1858–1933), married Congressman Richard Wayne Parker;
- Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon (1860–1927), founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA;
- Sarah Alice Gordon (1863–1880);
- Mabel McLane Gordon (1870–1951), married Hon Rowland Leigh (1859–1943),[5] having two children: author Jane Gordon and screenwriter Rowland Leigh.[6]
References
- Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1906). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston: American Biographical Society. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- King Cotton and his Retainers (1800-1925)
- Gordon Family Papers, Georgia Historical Society
- "General Gordon Buried". Tampa Times. Savannah, Georgia. September 13, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 107th edn. London: Burke's Peerage & Gentry Ltd. p. 2293 (LEIGH, B). ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- Rowley Leigh bio