Peyton Anderson Statue

Peyton Anderson Statue

Outdoor Sculpture - Sculpture

 277 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201

The Peyton Anderson Statue commemorates Peyton Took Anderson Jr. (1907-1988).

By 1951, Peyton Tooke Anderson, Jr. (1907-1988) of Macon, Georgia, owned his own newspaper, its building, and its press. The Telegraph and News had a reputation as an independent and creative publication. When it was sold to Knight Newspapers in 1969, Peyton exclaimed, “I’d done it all” (p. 110).

In 1907 Peyton, Jr. was born.  In the summer of 1916, Peyton, Jr. had his first job as an office boy. When the Macon News failed in 1929, William and Peyton, Sr. his father, purchased it. Although the Macon Telegraph, Macon News, and Sunday Macon Telegraph and News were purchased by General Newspapers Services, Peyton, Sr. retained one-third of the stock and was named president of the Telegraph News Corporation. Peyton, Jr. was in military service in 1944 when his father died, but upon his return he was made publisher of the Macon Telegraph and News. In 1951 he bought out General Newspapers and celebrated the 125th birthday of the paper.

The skill that enabled the Andersons to rise to prominence in Macon and middle Georgia is evident in the sage advice Peyton, Sr. and his brothers gave to the young man: “Treat the lowliest and the highest with the same consideration you would ask for yourself or show your own family if you were called upon to write a story about them. Let us always endeavor to make people and not break them.” Subscribers were considered stockholders.

Peyton, Jr. was a family man. From the day he married Catherine McClure, June 10, 1930, until his death, the family was central in his life. Daughters Catherine, “Little Kat,” and Deyerle were his pride and joy. So too were their husbands, children, and grandchildren.

The statue stands in front of the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Since its inception in 1989, The Peyton Anderson Foundation has invested more than $70,000,000 in the Middle Georgia community. Through organizations like the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, Macon State College, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Goodwill Industries, the Foundation has touched the lives of thousands of Middle Georgians.

The Peyton Anderson Foundation initiates projects to meet needs in the community, responds to requests from charitable organizations, and provides college scholarships to promising students with financial need. With each grant that is funded and each project that is completed, the Foundation continues the vision of Peyton Tooke Anderson, Jr. to improve lives and enhance the communities of Middle Georgia.

The Peyton Anderson Foundation, which was formed to handle the broad distribution of the estate of Peyton Anderson, Jr., is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the communities of Macon, Bibb County, and Middle Georgia.

Location Info

277 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

277 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201