Henry W. Grady a journalist, visionary, and democrat, he was born in Athens, Georgia on May 24, 1850 a time of great civil unrest for America. A Union soldier killed his father when Henry was just a boy, and his mother raised him. He attended the University of Georgia where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886. While attending the University of Georgia Grady became a lifelong member of the Chi Phi fraternity. One of his great accomplishments was being elected the first Grand Alpha (National President) from the south. Afterword he went on to the University of Virginia where he studied law, but he became far more interested in history and literature, which led to a degree in journalism. Grady took his first full time job in journalism …show more content…
His powerful and controversial stories about the presidential election won Grady an editor’s position at the Constitution. In no time the Constitution had become one of the most renowned newsletters in Georgia. Henry wasn’t finished yet in 1886 he delivered a speech on what he called “The New South” to the New England Society of New York City. After the speech he earned the name the Spokesman for the New South, Grady made many follow up speech’s most notably were “The South and Her Problems”(1887) and “The Farmer and the Cities” (1889). Many people didn’t agree with what Grady spoke of and he was criticized for fantasizing the relationship between African Americans and whites in the south. He often spoke of the respect between whites and blacks in the south, but many questioned if the African Americans felt the same. Grady became part of what was known as the Atlanta Ring a group of democrats looking to add industry to the south. Grady became the leader of this ring and helped many of the other ring members attain strong political positions. Grady worked hard to affix the view, which the north had of his city and many others like it, but unfortunately his life and work was cut