Jim Jordan will share his success in his second career as historian at the AGS June program entitled “Gazaway Bugg Lamar, Augusta Native, Battles the Federal Government — and Wins.” Jordan recently purchased a large collection of Lamar papers which had been stored in a trunk in New Jersey and “lost” for over a hundred years until he donated them to the Georgia Historical Society in 2011, a gesture that Todd Groce, GHS president, called “an extraordinary gift.” Augustans are very familiar with the Lamar family, and many members are named in our publication Summerville Cemetery. Gazaway Lamar built a fortune in shipping, banking, and cotton factoring and was the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit of the nineteenth century. He was a strong supporter of southern state rights and engaged in procuring armaments for Georgia, blockade running, and offering advice to Confederate leaders. His greatest business challenge after the Civil War was seeking compensation for his property seized by the federal government, the action described by Jordan in the program about Lamar’s large settlement with the Southern Claims Commission six months before his death.
Jim Jordan’s professional career was spent in New York and England as a financial analyst and financial systems consultant before his retirement to Callawassie Island, South Carolina. About ten years ago, he began enjoying public speaking on historical topics and guiding tours in Savannah. His historical novel, Savannah Grey: A Tale of Antebellum Georgia, was nominated for the Michael Shaara award for Excellence in Civil War fiction in 2007. His articles have appeared in the Georgia Historical Quarterly and The Journal of Military History. He is currently working on a sequel to the popular Savannah Grey. The one-hour program at 3 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History is free and open to the public.
The program at the Augusta History Museum on 6 June 2013 is free and open to the public. Ample parking is available from the Sixth Street or Broad Street entrances at the Augusta Museum.