Mayhayley Lancaster
Encyclopedia
Mayhayley Lancaster was an American
lawyer, political activist, midwife and teacher best known for having participated in two of Georgia
's most high-profile murder trials, involving defendants Leo Frank
in Marietta
and John Wallace in Coweta County. She was involved in Leo Frank's defense and in the Wallace case as a witness for the prosecution.
She was born Amanda Mayhayley Lancaster and grew up in Heard County, Georgia, where she lived for most of her life. She is buried in the cemetery at Caney Head Methodist Church.
Mayhayley Lancaster was 39 years old in 1915, during the Leo Frank case, a widely-known miscarriage of justice exacerbated by anti-semitism
, in which the Jewish defendant, on flimsy evidence, was falsely accused of murdering 13-year-old employee Mary Phagan. Lancaster was one of the few public voices in Georgia to defend Frank. Thirty-two years later, in 1947, the 71-year-old Mayhayley Lancaster took part in the Wallace trial, later described in the book Murder in Coweta County. In the 1983 same-titled made-for-TV movie
, she was portrayed by 54-year-old June Carter Cash
whose husband, Johnny Cash
, played the key role of the persistent sheriff determined to bring to justice the arrogant John Wallace (Andy Griffith
).
She ran for the Georgia legislature in 1926, the first woman to do so. She ran on a platform advocating roads and railroads into rural counties, public schools, and the passage of a law that mandated that doctors must deliver babies regardless of the family's ability to pay fees. She did not win, but some of her ideas were eventually carried out.
Mayhayley Lancaster died five months before her 80th birthday. In addition to her legal, political and educational activities, she was also described as a noted fortune teller, numbers runner and self-proclaimed "Oracle of the Ages".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, political activist, midwife and teacher best known for having participated in two of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
's most high-profile murder trials, involving defendants Leo Frank
Leo Frank
Leo Max Frank was a Jewish-American factory superintendent whose hanging in 1915 by a lynch mob of prominent citizens in Marietta, Georgia drew attention to antisemitism in the United States....
in Marietta
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
and John Wallace in Coweta County. She was involved in Leo Frank's defense and in the Wallace case as a witness for the prosecution.
She was born Amanda Mayhayley Lancaster and grew up in Heard County, Georgia, where she lived for most of her life. She is buried in the cemetery at Caney Head Methodist Church.
Mayhayley Lancaster was 39 years old in 1915, during the Leo Frank case, a widely-known miscarriage of justice exacerbated by anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, in which the Jewish defendant, on flimsy evidence, was falsely accused of murdering 13-year-old employee Mary Phagan. Lancaster was one of the few public voices in Georgia to defend Frank. Thirty-two years later, in 1947, the 71-year-old Mayhayley Lancaster took part in the Wallace trial, later described in the book Murder in Coweta County. In the 1983 same-titled made-for-TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, she was portrayed by 54-year-old June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
whose husband, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, played the key role of the persistent sheriff determined to bring to justice the arrogant John Wallace (Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
).
She ran for the Georgia legislature in 1926, the first woman to do so. She ran on a platform advocating roads and railroads into rural counties, public schools, and the passage of a law that mandated that doctors must deliver babies regardless of the family's ability to pay fees. She did not win, but some of her ideas were eventually carried out.
Mayhayley Lancaster died five months before her 80th birthday. In addition to her legal, political and educational activities, she was also described as a noted fortune teller, numbers runner and self-proclaimed "Oracle of the Ages".