Life
- Died
- October 31, 1886
Career
- Blacksmith — Western & Atlantic Railroad
Biography
George W. Haney (d. October 31, 1886) was a blacksmith in the Western & Atlantic Railroad shops and a member of one of Atlanta’s best-known firefighting families. The son of railroad machinist and former fire chief Thomas Haney, George worked for years in the Western & Atlantic shops in Atlanta. He also served as chief of the Atlanta Volunteer Fire Department, following in his father’s footsteps. At the time of his death, his brothers, Henry P. Haney and Thomas W. Haney, were foremen at Atlanta fire stations.
Haney died suddenly on October 31, 1886, at about 38 years of age after suffering a pulmonary hemorrhage at his Atlanta home. Contemporary accounts noted that he left a wife and four children and had accumulated several thousand dollars in property. Remembered as both a skilled railroad employee and prominent firefighter, Haney belonged to a family closely identified with Atlanta’s railroads and public service.