William Ezzard

William E. Ezzard (June 12, 1799 – March 24, 1887) was a Southern United States politician who served as the 11th, 13th and 19th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, in the 19th century.

Ezzard was born in Abbeville, South Carolina. He moved to Georgia and later represented Elbert County, Georgia, in the Georgia Legislature. He was twice elected as a state senator from that district. After a full term as judge of the Coweta circuit, he settled in Decatur in 1822, being one of the first settlers in DeKalb County. He was again sent to the legislature.

In 1826 DeKalb County Academy was founded and the next year, Ezzard, as well as Judge Reuben Cone and nine others, were named as trustees in the incorporation. In 1827, at the age of 28, he was sent to the Georgia state senate from DeKalb County.

He served as Solicitor General of the Cherokee Circuit from December 8, 1832, to December 1835. Then he was brigadier general of the First Brigade, 11th Division, in the Georgia militia. He resigned in November 1840 and was Judge of the old Coweta Circuit from November 6, 1840, until November 1844. While in that office, he administered the estate of Hardy Ivy and was responsible for subdividing his estate comprising land lot 51.

Ezzard moved to Atlanta in 1850, where he was a law partner to Judge John Collier and operated a dry goods and drug store Smith & Ezzard. He co-founded the Atlanta Bank in 1852 with John Mims, Clark Howell, Sr., Jonathan Norcross, Richard Peters, William Butt, Lemuel Grant, Joseph Winship, N.L. Angier, Joseph Thompson and other investors.

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