Charles A. Collier was a capitalist, banker, and lawyer. He was the son of Judge John Collier

John Collier (judge)

Judge John Collier was a Superior Court judge from Atlanta, Georgia, commonly considered one of the city's 'founding fathers.' Collier filed the charter which renamed the city of 'Marthasville' to 'Atlanta' in 1848....

 and Henrietta E. Wilson. His wife, Suzie (b. ???? - d. 1897) was the daughter of William A. Rawson.

Early career

Collier was born in 1848 in a village that would later be known as Gate City. At the age of 18, he entered into the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 to study law. While there, he joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...

 fraternity. Collier graduated from the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 in 1869 with a degree in law and was admitted to the bar in 1871. He shortly after left the law profession and went into mercantile pursuits and banking.

Piedmont Exposition

He was elected to the Board of Aldermen

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 of Atlanta in 1887 and 1888, similar to the Atlanta City Council

Atlanta City Council

Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It consists of 15 members elected from districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bodies: the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Atlanta City Council serves...

 today. In 1887, he was also the President of the Piedmont Exposition

Piedmont Exposition

The Piedmont Exposition of 1887 was the first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.-Founding of the Piedmont Exposition Company:...

 which bought 189 acre (0.76485654 km²) of land to form Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park is a urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's farm and residence...

 and the Gentleman's Driving Club

Piedmont Driving Club

The Piedmont Driving Club is a private social club with two club houses in Atlanta, Georgia. It has enjoyed a reputation as one of the most prestigious private clubs in the South....

. In just 104 days, Collier and the rest of the Company managed to build the structures and prepare the grounds for the Exposition held at the newly named Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park is a urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's farm and residence...

. President Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland

Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...

 honored Atlanta with a visit to the Exposition with his new bride, Frances Folsom. Afterwards, Collier was named President of the Cotton States and International Exposition Company charged with planning the 1895 World's Fair

World's Fair

World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...

 which at the time was known as the Cotton States and International Exposition.

From 1892 to 1896 he was a member of the Fulton County Commission and with Hoke Smith provided funding for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad

Seaboard Air Line Railroad

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...

's construction through Georgia.

The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)

Serious preparations for the Exposition began in 1894. On October 16, 1894, Collier and John Randolph Lewis wrote to Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington

Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...

 making him the Chief Commissioner of the State of Alabama for the Exposition and charging him with creating an exhibit show casing the talents of African-Americans in Alabama.

During the Exposition, Collier named several days of honor. One of these days included Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...

 day, where he addressed fellow SAE fraternity brothers in the auditorium.

Mayor

Collier was elected as Mayor of Atlanta for the first time from 1897 to 1898. In 1899, Collier was elected Mayor again, pro tem. Just a year after leaving office he was accidentally shot and killed while searching for a burglar in his backyard in the early morning of September 28, 1900.

His son, John Collier Sr.

John Collier (reformer)

John Collier was an American social reformer and Native American advocate. He served as Commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, from 1933-1945...

, was Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1933 - 1945 and known for his effort to reform the BIA with the Indian New Deal.