Randolph Lawler Mott (August 9, 1799 – July 19, 1881) was an American businessman, planter, and politician in Columbus, Georgia, notable for his Union sympathies during the American Civil War despite being a slave owner and having business ties to the Confederacy.
Early Life
Mott was born on August 9, 1799, in Fauquier County, Virginia, the son of William Mott and Sally Lawler. He apprenticed as a tailor and left Virginia for Georgia in 1819, settling first in Augusta before relocating to Milledgeville. He married Mary Jeter in 1821 in Milledgeville.
Career
Mott entered a business partnership with John Mustain, who married Mott's sister-in-law. Together they operated a variety of ventures, including the Washington Hall hotel and a stagecoach line between Augusta and Montgomery via Macon. The partners moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 1843 and expanded into railroads, mills, and real estate. After Mustain was elected to the Georgia Legislature in 1845, Mott took over their business operations. Mott himself was elected to the Georgia State Legislature in 1857. He also owned a plantation in Russell County, Alabama.
Wanderer Affair
In 1859, Mott was indicted for "holding an African negro boy" in connection with the Wanderer affair. He had acquired one of the last African slaves illegally imported into the United States from Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar, who had brought the individual from Africa aboard the slave ship Wanderer. That slave was later identified as Frank Bambush.
Civil War and Aftermath
Mott was a slave owner but claimed that his property had never left the Union. He stated that he flew the American flag inside his home throughout the war. After Union forces captured Columbus in the Battle of Columbus on April 16, 1865, Union General James Harrison Wilson commandeered the Mott house for his headquarters.
Following the war, Mott remained active in civic and business affairs. He served as a trustee of the Milledgeville insane asylum and the Columbus Freedman's Bureau, as well as mayor pro tem of Columbus.
Death
Mott died on July 19, 1881, at a railroad station in Atlanta after falling under the wheels of a train while attempting to return home.
