The Biographical Dictionary of America/Bacon, Augustus Octavius

BACON, Augustus Octavius, senator, was born in Bryan county, Ga., Oct. 22, 1839. He received a high school education in his native state, and after his graduation from the University of Georgia, in 1859, he studied law in that institution for a year. At the breaking out of the civil war he joined the Confederate army as adjutant, being afterwards commissioned captain, and assigned to general staff duty. In 1866 he was admitted to the bar, and began to practise law at Macon, Ga. He was several times a member of state Democratic conventions, being president of the convention in 1880, and in 1884 was delegate at large to the national convention. In 1868 he was a presidential elector, and in 1871 was elected to the Georgia house of representatives, serving there, by successive re-elections, fourteen years, acting two years as speaker pro tempore, and eight years as speaker. In 1894 he was elected to the United States senate, and was prominent in the 54th congress as an advocate of Cuban independence. He was re-elected in 1900 for the term ending March 4, 1907.