On this day in Alabama history: William Anderson Handley died
Portrait of William Anderson Handley. (Amy Tingle, findagrave.com)
June 23, 1909
William Anderson Handley died in Roanoke on this day in 1909, having suffered a severe fall in spring 1909 from which he never recovered. Handley was born in Liberty Hill near Franklin, Georgia, on Dec. 15, 1834. He fought in the Civil War, helping to recruit a company of Confederate soldiers from Randolph County. Handley was wounded in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and resigned his commission soon after, serving out his commission as a tax collector. He entered politics in 1870, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and both houses of the Alabama Legislature. He is also remembered as one of the most important businessmen and philanthropists in Roanoke, donating land and money to many organizations for new buildings and schools.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
