GEORGIA (WALB) - On December 1, 1824, Georgia came close to having its first president when William Crawford competed in one of the most contested presidential elections in American history.

Crawford was a career politician in the early 1800s who served in the Georgia State Legislature, United States Senate, and as Secretary of War and Treasury. He was considered as prominent a candidate as his opponents Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay in the 1824 election.

Crawford did not win, but none of the four candidates received enough electoral votes to secure victory. The House of Representatives decided the election and chose John Quincy Adams as president.

Georgia finally got a president from the state 152 years later in 1976. Jimmy Carter was elected as the 39th president on Nov. 2, 1976.

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