James Litchfield Beavers is not a name that most Atlantans today are familiar with but back in his day James Beavers was “The Man”…literally. For 26 years, James Beavers was a member of Atlanta’s police force and from1911 to 1915 he was Atlanta’s “Top Cop,” the Chief of Police.
In his almost three decades of police work, James Beavers changed, adapted and grew with the City of Atlanta. He was on duty during Atlanta’s Race Riot of 1906, he was charged with enforcing a city-wide ban on alcohol which took effect in our city 12 years prior to the passage of the 18th amendment. In his capacity as Chief, Beavers oversaw the investigation of the Leo Frank case which garnered nation-wide publicity.
By all accounts, James Litchfield Beavers was a capable, competent and moral police officer who conscientiously upheld the law. He was good at what he did and, surprisingly, that ended up being his downfall as you will see this this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Not sure if this website is still active or monitored, but: James Litchfield Beavers was my great-grandfather. One of his children was my maternal grandfather, “Grandaddy,” James L. Beavers II, who had three kids: James the 3rd, Lynne, and Jan. Lynne is my mother. James III has passed, but my mom and Jan are still with us. Lynne (Mom) is 81 years old. I am compiling a history of the family and would like to learn more about Chief Beavers. Thanks for your attention.
I’m writing a novel series in which James Beavers, your grandfather, will be a prominent character. The novel series will not be about James Beavers himself, but about Atlanta’s Black Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who stalked the streets of Atlanta and preyed on black women from 1909-1924, during Beavers tenure as Chief of Police. The Ripper murders played a prominent role during Beavers’ administration, and he went in person to investigate two of the Ripper murders, Mary Putnam who was killed on November 21, 1911 and Pearl Williams on Jan 23, 1912. The Ripper cases also played a role in his downfall as the failure to catch the Ripper was mentioned during his first impeachment trial as a reason for his removal in 1915. I have written the first novel already but haven’t found a publisher yet. I plan to write three further novels that will cover the Ripper murders, the Leo Frank case, Beavers impeachment trials, the Atlanta Fire of 1917, the Spanish Flu, and the Rise of the KKK and the Flapper Era of the 1920s
My email is mehcadfan@gmail.com
I’m writing a novel series in which James Beavers will be a prominent character. The novel series will not be about James Beavers himself, but about Atlanta’s Black Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who stalked the streets of Atlanta and preyed on black women from 1909-1924, during Beavers tenure as Chief of Police. The Ripper murders played a prominent role during Beavers’ administration, and he went in person to investigate two of the Ripper murders, Mary Putnam who was killed on November 21, 1911 and Pearl Williams on Jan 23, 1912. The Ripper cases also played a role in his downfall as the failure to catch the Ripper was mentioned during his first impeachment trial as a reason for his removal in 1915. I have written the first novel already but haven’t found a publisher yet. I plan to write three further novels that will cover the Ripper murders, the Leo Frank case, Beavers impeachment trials, the Atlanta Fire of 1917, the Spanish Flu, and the Rise of the KKK and the Flapper Era of the 1920s