Amos Tappan Akerman

Educator, Lawyer, Attorney General

Born: 2-23-1821, Portsmouth, NH Died: 12-21-1880, Cartersville, GA Buried: Oak Hill Cemetery, Cartersville Married: Martha Rebecca Galloway Akerman opposed secession, but joined the GA State Guard in 1863, appointed Federal District Attorney for Georgia and later served as US Attorney General in President Grant's cabinet. Akerman was the first attorney general to serve as head of the Justice Department, where he established the first investigative agency within the department, later the FBI. A fierce civil rights advocate, Akerman won over half of the civil rights cases he prosecuted during his distinguished career.

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