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John W. Maddox.

OHN W. MADDOX, of Rome, soldier, legislator, judge, congressman, and now mayor, has been in the public service almost without a break since he was fifteen years

of age.

He was born in Chattooga county, June 3, 1848. His father was George B. T. Maddox. His grandfather came to Georgia from Virginia and first settled in Greene county. His mother was Sarah (Dickson) Maddox. She was a native of Jackson county, but was reared in Dekalb. The Maddoxes are of Welsh extraction. On his mother's side Judge Maddox traces his ancestors in America back to his great-great-grandfather, Colonel Riley, of the District of Columbia, who was an officer in the Revolution, and who was of Irish lineage.

John W. was a healthy, robust lad, growing up on his father's farm and enjoying such advantages as the schools of that day could give until the outhreak of the War between the States in 1861. His father having enlisted in the Confederate service, he accompanied him, in 1862, to Savannah, and was present during the construction of Fort Boggs. He returned to school, but early in 1863, when only fifteen years of age, enlisted for •ervice in the Sixth Georgia Cavalry. A few weeks later, at the battle of Chickamauga, he received his baptism of blood and shared the fortunes of his regiment for the remainder of the war in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. He was twice wounded; in the face at Yellow Creek, Ala., October, 1864, and in the arm at Aiken, S. C., the following year.

His mother, of whom he speaks as a woman of strong mentality, of excellent education and possessing all the virtues of

the best womanhood of the South, passed away soon after he entered the army. On returning home after the war he attended school for twelve months under great difficulty, first at Summerville and then at Bethel Church. His father, whose health had been broken by the war, died in 1870, and the support of the family, of which he was the oldest son, devolved on him. It is hard to realize what this meant, unless it be remembered how bare North Georgia had been laid by the invading army. Not only had farms been devastated, but live stock and even the domestic fowls had been appropriated to such an extent that the rehabilitation of the country was greatly retarded. With only the horse brought with him from the war, Mr. Maddox took up the struggle, made harder by the reign of the carpet-bagger. He was very active in his resistance of their measures. This rendered him popular among his neighbors, and he was appointed deputy sheriff of his county before he was twenty-one.

He engaged in railroad contracting, but had to suspend operations on account of the panic of 1873. He was in Alabama two years—one year at the Round Mountain iron furnace and one at Stone Hill copper mine.

On August 15, 1872, he married Miss Frances Elizabeth Edmondson, of Chattooga county, Georgia. Eight children have been born to them, seven of whom are living.

Later Mr. Maddox began the study of law, and, with some assistance and direction by Judge Taylor, of Summerville, was admitted to the bar at the September term of court, 1877. He was mayor of his town when admitted to the bar. This position he resigned to accept a place on the Board of County Commissioners, which position he resigned to represent his county in the Legislature. After four years service in the House of Representatives, he went to the State Senate. In 1886 he was elected Judge of the Rome circuit, and again resigned as mayor of Summerville to accept the judgeship. In 1890 he was re