Lauren Callaway, a native to Atlanta and freshman attending Georgia College, is the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Gov. McDonald. She is a biology pre-med major and plans to become a dermatologist.

“This portrait is very important to the history of the state of Georgia,” said Georgia College President Dorothy Leland. “We are very proud to have the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Gov. McDonald. It means a lot to us.”

Callaway is a new member of sorority Alpha Delta Pi. Other than a great-aunt who attended Georgia College when it was a women’s college, Callaway is the first person in her family to attend classes here.

“My grandparents and parents have visited the Old Governor’s Mansion a couple of times and really loved the feel of the town and how pretty it is here,” said Callaway. “This definitely had a lot to do with my interest in looking into the school. I have always been interested in learning more about (Gov. McDonald’s) background. He was an influential figure in shaping Georgia’s history, and I am proud to be related to him.”

Family members in the Old Governor’s Mansion for the portrait’s unveiling.

Jim McDonald commissioned the portrait painted by Harriet Porter as a gift to his father, Louis Franklin McDonald. The painting was completed one month before his father passed away.

“When we gave it to him, the first thing he said was that it should be donated,” said McDonald. “He really would have loved to be here for this.”

The portrait completes the mansion’s collection of paintings of the eight governors who lived in the mansion.

“I am very pleased and full of gratitude to the descendants of Gov. McDonald for donating the portrait,” said Mansion Director Jim Turner. “The addition of this image will greatly enhance our interpretive abilities. Gov. McDonald was the first governor to occupy the new esecutive mansion after its completion in 1839 making this acquisition particularly invaluable.”

Gov. Charles James McDonald was a lawyer and businessman until he was elected governor of Georgia in 1839.

During his two terms as governor, McDonald worked for the recovery of the state’s financial situation brought on by the economic panic of 1837. He also advocated a state supreme court and worked to improve the state’s educational system.

The mansion on the campus of Georgia College connects residence of Georgia with their history. The mansion served as the first classroom building when Georgia College opened in 1889 as an all girls’ school.

The unveiling was a celebration. It was a celebration of family, a celebration of history and a celebration of Gov. McDonald. This portrait fulfills the mission of the Mansion to really connect citizens with the past. It serves to bring the past alive.

“The whole McDonald family is interested in genealogy,” said Howard Callaway, father of Lauren Callaway. “This portrait is really an opportunity to bring that picture to life.”