u/CiroFlexo

With all the stress over the upcoming elections weighing down, I thought I'd provide a little levity from Atlanta's political past:

Long before the battle between Republicans and Democrats, the first five mayors of the City of Atlanta were members of either the Free and Rowdy Party or the Moral Party.

Atlanta's first three majors were Moses Formwalt, Benjamin Bomar, and Willis Buell, who were all members of the Free and Rowdy Party. According to Wikipedia, "[t]he Rowdies included many owners of distilleries, bars and brothels, and represented most of what the city was, especially as an outpost along the railroads."

The Rowdies were finally unseated by Jonathan Norcross, who was succeeded by [Thomas Gibbs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gibbs_(mayor\)), both of the Moral Party, who advocated for temperance and chastity.

Mayor Formwalt was only 28 when elected, and he oversaw the construction of early roads and the first city jail. He later became a deputy sheriff for DeKalb County, where he was stabbed to death while transporting a prisoner at age 32.

Mayor Bomar, who was elected at age 32, oversaw the purchase of the land for Oakland Cemetery, where he was buried after dying at age 51.

Mayor Buell was actually a native of Connecticut, and spent the early part of his political career in Ohio, before coming to Georgia.

Mayor Norcross was a businessman in various areas, a politician, and a newspaper publisher. Although a member of the Moral Party, his politics seemed more akin to the Republicans of that day. He opposed secession and complained about Atlanta's crooked roads. The City of Norcross is named for him.

There doesn't appear to be anything historical of note for Mayor Gibbs, the final mayor of either the Rowdy Party or the Moral Party. Following his failed bid for a second term, he left the area.

Following this period, the next several majors were independents. The first Republican or Democrat mayor of the city was Democrat Allison Nelson, who defeated the Know Nothing Party candidate, Ira O. McDaniel in 1855.