William A. Guilford (February 5, 1844 – October 1909) was a barber and state legislator from Upson County, Georgia. Guilford was a representative of Georgia’s constitutional congress in 1868 and was an elected representative in Georgia’s assembly during the 1868–1870 term. A Republican, he helped found the Republican Party in Upson County. He organized the Upson County’s Emancipation Celebration, which still occurs on or near May 19th.

William Guilford’s father, Guilford Speer, operated a harness and shoe shop in Thomaston, dating back to the 1840s. Guilford was also a founding organizer of St. Mary’s A.M.E. Church. Guilford and his wife, Lourinda, had at least 8 children including William (who died before 1870), Guilford, Duffield, Lincoln, Douglass, Richard, Ludie, Benjamin, and Lidie (Lydia). He owned 12 acres of land in Thomaston, Georgia. Guilford was one of several witnesses on behalf of political activist William Fincher of Pike County, who was accused of vagrancy in 1868. The case was submitted to the U.S. Congress as an example of a violation of Civil Rights. The jury sentenced Fincher to a year of hard labor on the public roads.

Below is William Guilford’s petition for reinstatement to the Georgia Assembly.

REFERENCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary_A.M.E._Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Guilford

 United States. Government Printing Office (1870). “Congressional Serial Set”. United States Congressional Serial Set (1406). U.S. Government Printing Office: 1–24. ISSN 1931-2822. Retrieved 2025-03-02.