In working part time
at the McDaniel-Tichenor house located in Monroe, Georgia, it became evident in
researching the family history the impact that Governor Henry Dickerson
McDaniel made on the state of Georgia not only in his lifetime but even now
almost 100 years after his death. Governor McDaniel was a humanitarian and he
believed as a civil servant that he needed to represent everyone equally.
Governor McDaniel served as Georgia’s 52nd governor (1883–1886), leading the
state through post-Reconstruction recovery. A Monroe native and a Mercer
University graduate, Civil War veteran, and dedicated public servant, McDaniel
played a key role in Georgia’s financial reforms, tax laws, higher education,
and infrastructure development. He helped to establish what is to today the
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and oversaw the design,
budget, and construction of the Georgia State Capitol. After his term was
complete, he returned to Monroe to continue his law practice and became heavily
involved with the University of Georgia board of trustees. His home in Monroe,
Georgia is on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The house
serves as a living museum and a community gathering place for all to share. In
exploring his accomplishments, which is the most any governor has done for the
State of Georgia, Governor McDaniel’s ideologies and practices illustrates how
a politician should represent the people by being unbiased, empathetic, and as
a visionary, very prolific.
