Mary Phagan—just shy of 14, Mary was described as fun-loving, witty, and mischievous by family and friends, and was known for her beauty. She loved going to movies at the local picture house, and she maintained close relationships with her mother, siblings, and cousins. Unlike many girls her age and social class, Mary could read and write, and is known to have composed at least one poem. 

Leo Frank—The 29-year-old factory superintendent was born in Texas but moved with his family to Brooklyn in infancy. He studied mechanical engineering and played tennis at Cornell University, and he loved symphonies and opera. Though many in his social circles liked him well enough, Leo was known as uptight and meticulous; however, letters he and his wife Lucille wrote to each other reveal that Leo could be gentle, passionate, and even gossipy, though that side of him rarely showed. 

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Lucille Selig Frank—Just 25 when her husband was arrested, Lucille was witty, vivacious, and deeply intelligent while also practical, prudent, and dutiful. Lucille claimed she fell in love with Leo at first sight and that she "liked to make him blush." She visited Leo every day during his imprisonment, and she worked tirelessly writing letters and aiding in efforts to clear her husband's name. Even after his lynching, Lucille continued to go by "Mrs. Leo M. Frank." She never remarried. 

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Jim Conley—Also 29, Conley worked as a janitor in the pencil plant. He'd had frequent run-ins with the law, mostly for drunk and disorderly conduct, but he was deeply intelligent, shrewd, and opportunistic. Conley's statements and testimony captured Atlantans, and he loved the attention and opportunity. Unlike many African Americans his age, Conley was relatively well-educated and literate, and he read the newspaper everyday. Many who believed Frank was framed think that Conley was able to piece his story together through connecting and filling in the newspaper accounts he read every day. Conley's testimony was the first time a white man was convicted in the South on the word of a black man. 

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John Slaton—A popular Georgia politician who'd served in State Senate and House prior to becoming Governor, Slaton had high hopes for working up to the national stage. His commutation of Frank's sentence was political suicide; Slaton's former supporters turned against him, and the Georgia National Guard was called to protect the Governor's Mansion that night as mobs rioted and burned him in effigy outside. 

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Hugh Dorsey—Atlanta's District Attorney. Although his conviction record was far from impressive prior to the Frank trial, he was calculating, watchful, and predatory. His success with the Frank trial increased his popularity, and he was elected Governor of Georgia in 1917. 

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Tom Watson—Once a popular Populist with presidential aspirations, his popularity and political career had dwindled by 1913. He used his magazine The Jeffersonian as a mouthpiece for his anti-black, antisemitic, and anti-Catholic opinions. His coverage of the Frank trial incensed open antisemitism in the region, and Watson's popularity grew. In 1920, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. 

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Newt Lee—In his late 50s, Lee would have been born into slavery and freed in childhood. Humble and dutiful, Lee was regarded largely as trustworthy by white people as a type of "old Negro."  

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Luther Rosser—Gov. Slaton's law partner and Leo Frank's attorney, Rosser was known for his casual demeanor and unkempt dress—the man never wore a necktie, even in front of the U.S. Supreme Court—but he was an impressive attorney. Of imposing build, Rosser was determined and unyielding in the courtroom. 

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Alonzo Mann—In 1983, the National Pencil Factory's former employee signed an affidavit on his death bed saying he'd seen Jim Conley carrying Mary Phagan's body to the basement alone, and that Conley threatened to kill him if he ever spoke about what he saw. Although it did not clear Frank of the murder, Mann's affidavit led to the 1986 posthumous pardon of Leo Frank.