Background
Robert Toombs was born on July 2, 1810, in Wilkes County, Georgia, United States.
( This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923....)
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Correspondence Of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, And Howell Cobb; Volume 2 Of Annual Report Of The American Historical Association For The Year 1911; Volume 2 Of Annual Report (American Historical Association); Annual Report; Great Britain Royal Commission On Historical Manuscripts Robert Augustus Toombs, Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Howell Cobb Ulrich Bonnell Phillips Govt. Print. Off., 1913 Confederate States of America; Georgia; Southern States; United States
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Robert Toombs was born on July 2, 1810, in Wilkes County, Georgia, United States.
He was educated at Franklin College (university of Georgia), at Union College, Schenectady, New York, from which he graduated in 1828, and at the law school of the university of Virginia.
He was admitted to the bar in 1830, and served in the Georgia House of Representatives (1838, 1840 - 1841 and 1843-1844), in the Federal House of Representatives (1845 - 1853), and in the United States Senate (1853- 1861).
He opposed the annexation of Texas, the Mexican War, President Polk's Oregon policy, and the Walker Tariff of 1846.
In common with Alexander H. Stephens and Howell Cobb, he supported the Compromise Measures of 1850, denounced the Nashville Convention, opposed the secessionists in Georgia, and helped to frame the famous Georgia platform (1850).
His position and that of Southern Unionists during the decade 1850- 1860 has often been misunderstood.
They disapproved of secession, not because they considered it wrong in principle, but because they considered it inexpedient.
He favoured the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, the admission of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution, and the English Bill (1858), and on the 24th of June 1856 introduced in the Senate the Toombs Bill, which proposed a constitutional convention in Kansas under conditions which were acknowledged by various anti-slavery leaders as fair, and which mark the greatest concessions made by the pro-slavery senators during the Kansas struggle.
In the presidential campaign of 1860 he supported John C. Breckinridge, and on the 22nd of December, soon after the election of Lincoln, sent a telegram to Georgia which asserted that " secession by the 4th of March next should be thundered forth from the ballot-box by the united voice of Georgia. "
His influence was a most powerful factor in inducing the "old-line Whigs " to support immediate secession.
After a short term as secretary of state in President Davis's cabinet, he entered the army (July 21, 1861), and served first as a brigadier-general in the Army of Northern Virginia and after 1863 as adjutant and inspector-general of General G. W. Smith's division of Georgia militia.
He then spent two years in exile in Cuba, France and England, but returned to Georgia in 1867, and resumed the practice of law.
Owing to his refusal to take the oath of allegiance, he was never restored to the full rights of citizenship.
Robert Toombs was memoralized with the following namesakes:
Georgia's Toombs County is named for Robert Toombs.
Toombs Judicial Circuit includes the superior courts of Glascock County, Lincoln County, McDuffie County, Taliaferro County, Warren County, and Wilkes County.
So is the Georgia town of Toomsboro, though with a slightly altered spelling.
His legacy also lives on in his hometown of Washington, Georgia. Visitors to Washington can tour the Robert Toombs House, a Historic Site owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and operated by Washington-Wilkes County.
Camp Toombs in Toccoa, Georgia, was the training base of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Regiment during World War II and was named after him.
Robert Toombs Christian Academy in Lyons, Georgia was named in his honor.
His great-great-grandson was Roderick George Toombs, better known as professional wrestler Roddy Piper.
( This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923....)
He restored his law practice and reestablished himself as a popular leader who carefully attempted to overturn Radical Republican rule in the South.
A brilliant raconteur and a man ofdelightful wit and biting sarcasm, he once referred to prohibitionists as "men of small pints. "
Toombs had always made a powerful impression on the public with his emotive oratory, backed by a strong physical presence, but his intemperate habits and volatile personality limited his career potential.
secretary of state
