The Atlanta Gas Light Company was incorporated in February 1856 to provide gas streetlights for Atlanta. It is the oldest continuously operated company in the city of Atlanta and the second oldest company in the state of Georgia. It functioned as an independent company until 1889 when the United Gas Improvement Company of Philadelphia gained control of the company through a stock purchase. The Atlanta Gas Light Company was a subsidiary of a holding company for the next 58 years. Successive parent companies were Georgia Railway and Electric Company (1903), Georgia Railway and Power Company (1920), Georgia Power Company (1927), Central Public Service Corporation of Chicago (1929), United States Electric and Gas Company of New York (1932), and Consolidated Electric and Gas (1933), which was also based in New York. United States Electric and Gas and Consolidated Electric and Gas were subsidiaries of Central Public Service. In 1947 the Atlanta Gas Light Company again became independent and remained so until 1996 when AGL Resources Inc. was formed to be a holding company for Atlanta Gas Light Company, Virginia Natural Gas, Chattanooga Gas Company, AGL Energy Services, and several non-utility subsidiaries.

Tate, James H. Keeper of the Flame: Atlanta Gas Light Company, 1856-1985, Atlanta: Atlanta Gas Light Company, 1985; Atlanta Gas Light Company - About Us, http://www.atlantagaslight.com/Universal/AboutUs.aspx, July 22, 2010; AGL Resources Inc. Annual Report, 2000.

Throughout its existence, the Atlanta Gas Light Company has been governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a President and other officers. Presidents include Julius A. Hayden, John W. Duncan, Thomas G. Healey, John H. Mecaslin, William L. Cosgrove, G. W. Brine, Albert E. Peirce, Luke C. Bradley, W. W. Winter, H. Carl Wolf, Rock G. Taber, Duncan A. Crawford, Wallace L. Lee, Joe T. LaBoon, and David R. Jones. Until the deregulation of the natural gas market in Georgia in 1998, the Atlanta Gas Light Company sold natural gas directly to customers in addition to other products and services. The company now operates and maintains the gas pipes, reads meters, maintains the natural gas infrastructure, and distributes gas to certified marketers.