About Emory » Emory's 175th Anniversary » 175 of Everything » 175 Makers of History

175 Makers of History: James A. Mackay

James A. Mackay 40C 47L 86H
Congressman; Environmentalist

James A. Mackay distinguished himself as an Emory student (he was student body president), in the military (a Coast Guard veteran, he earned a Bronze Star in World War II), in politics (he served in the Georgia legislature and U.S. House, and fought for civil rights and school desegregation), as a protector of the environment (in 1967, he founded the Georgia Conservancy), and as a historian (he served three terms as president of the DeKalb History Center where he started the "I Remember" oral history project and was the first recipient of the organization’s History Maker Award).