William Nathaniel Banks Jr.

1924 - 2019

William Nathaniel Banks, Jr., age 95, of Newnan, Georgia, died November 15th after a brief illness, at his home, Bankshaven. Known and respected by antiquarians and preservationists throughout the country, William was proudest of the 1820s Federal-style home which he had rescued from the area of Milledgeville and meticulously restored and reconstructed on his family's property in Newnan. He also maintained an important 19th century residence in Temple, New Hampshire. William was born in Newnan on March 6, 1924, the son of the late William N. Banks, Sr. and Evelyn Wright Banks. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University. He was a prolific author of articles for The Magazine Antiques as well as a playwright. His plays "The Curate's Play" and "The Glad Girls" were professionally produced. William was admired by friends and scholars for his deep knowledge of American architecture and the decorative arts as well as for his genial temperament and hospitality. He was a long-term member and had served as Vice-Chair of the Board of the MacDowell Colony, a contemporary arts organization in New Hampshire, and was a life member of the Board of Directors of the High Museum of Art. William's ashes will be interred in the Grantville, City Cemetery in Grantville, Georgia in a private family service. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home 770-253-4580.