Arnold, Richard D. (Richard Dennis), 1808-1876

Physician, educator, and Georgia state legislator, from Savannah.

Prominent physician, of Savannah, Ga.

Esther Goldsmith (1776-1866) was a native of Charleston, South Carolina. While living in Savannah, Georgia, Esther maintained a residence at the corner of Montgomery and South Broad streets. Her daughter, Henrietta, was hospitalized at the Georgia State Lunatic Asylum near Milledgeville, Georgia. Henrietta, a native of Savannah, was born in 1820. She died December l, 1873 in the asylum of pneumonia.

Richard Dennis Arnold (ca. 1808-1876) was a prominent physician in Savannah, Georgia. He was the mayor of the city when it was surrendered to Federal forces in 1864. Arnold was also the first president of the Board of Education in Savannah.

Richard Dennis Arnold (1808-1876), native of Savannah, Ga., was a physician, educator, and Georgia state legislator. In his medical practice, Arnold was particularly interested in yellow fever and was instrumental in founding the American Medical Association in 1846, and the Medical Association of Georgia in 1851. He was also a founder and teacher at the Savannah Medical School.

Arnold's political involvement arose out of his position as owner and editor of the Savannah Georgian . He was a Union Democrat, against nullification in 1833, and a supporter of secession in 1860 as a last resort. Arnold served in the Georgia state House of Representatives and Senate and held many municipal offices in Savannah including mayor, health officer, chairman of the Board of Aldermen, and chairmen of the Board of Education. As mayor, Arnold surrendered Savannah to William Tecumseh Sherman in December 1864.