Alexander S. Erwin Jr.

Alexander S. Erwin Jr.

Alexander S. Erwin Jr.

Alexander S. Erwin Jr. was the grandson of Howell Cobb and the son of a prominent Athens judge. He was a promising young lawyer, recent member of the Georgia General Assembly and a popular citizen of Athens before a fatal accident at the age of 24.

Brett Bennett

4/28/16

[1] (1899, July 27). Hon. Alex S. Erwin, Jr., Killed; Fell From Staircase To Ground. Atlanta Constitution.; (1899, July 27). A S. Erwin, Jr. Meets Death. Athens Daily Banner. (1900, June 19). The Resolutions: Passed a Few Days Since By the Athens Bar. Athens Weekly Banner.; (1897, December 10). Erwin & Erwin. Athens Daily Banner.

Jackson Griner

English

Alexander S. Erwin Jr. was the eldest son of Mary Ann Lamar Erwin, the daughter of Howell Cobb, and Alexander Smith Erwin, a prominent judge in Athens. He seemed poised to follow in the footsteps of his successful family. He was the first person to receive a diploma from Athens public schools, graduating at 14. At 17, he became a law student at the University of Georgia and graduated a year later. After graduating, he worked for a few law firms before forming Erwin & Erwin with his father. In 1898, at the age of 23, he was elected to the Georgia General Assembly as the Clarke county representative. He died from slipping on wet stairs and falling off a balcony, fracturing his spine. His death made front page news in both Athens and Atlanta, and his funeral was widely attended by friends, family, members of the bar and members of the three secret societies he was a part of: the Masons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias.[1]