Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/190

 TOOMBS

TOOMBS

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marrieil. thinlly, Catharine Haling of Virginia. a devoted Metliodist of Welsh ancestry, and by tliis marriage five children were reared: Sarali (Mrs. Pope). Jatnes, killed by accident while hunting; Augustus, Robert Augustus, and Gabriel. Major Robert Toombs died in 1815, having made Thomas W. Cobb of Greensboro, Ga., guardian of his son, Robert Augus- tus. He was pre- pared for college by Welcome Fanning, who kept an "old field school," and by the Rev. Alexander W^ebster, adjunct pro- fessor in the Uni- versity of Georgia. He matriculated at the University of Georgia in 1824, but not being willing to submit to the strict discipline that governed the stu- dents, he asked for a discharge, and it was granted. He then entered Union college. New York, from which he was graduated in 1828; studied law at the University of "Virginia for one term. 1829-30, and althougli non-age, was admitted to tlio bar, March 18, 1830, by permis- sion of the state legislature. He was married in November, 1830, to Julia A. DuBose, and in 1880 they celebrated their golden wedding, children, grandchildren, and great grandchild- ren being present. Mr. Toombs' progress at the bar was slow, and it was several years before his ability as an attorney and counsellor was recog- nized, while his popularity as an orator was im- mediate. He commanded a company in the Creek war in 1836; was a representative in the Georgia legislature, 1837-40 and 1841-44, serving as chairman of the committee on the judiciary, banking and state of the republic committees. He droppe<l from his name the "Augustus "as " sui)erfiuous lumber " in 1840 and was thereafter known as Robert Toombs. He was the Whig candidate for speaker of the house in 1842; a del- egate to the Democratic national convention in 1844; a representative from the eighth district of Georgia in the 29th-32d congresses, 1845-53, and U.S. senator, 185:^61. He was an uncompromis- ing advocate of the rights of states in the Fed- eral union and of upholding their constitutional rights, not only in the state, but in the territory iM-longing to the Unitfd States up to the time such territory was admitted as states, when the people of these new states became the governing jKiwer under the constitution; supporting his views with great oratorical power. On Jan. 7,

1861, he made his last speech in the United States senate, and announced his withdrawal from that boily, from which he was formally exi)elled in March, 1861. He was a member of the state sovereignty convention that assembled in Mill- edgeville, Jan. 16. 1861, and on the 17th, with 207 other delegates, he voted for secession, 89 del- egates voting against the ordinance, making Georgia the fifth state to secede. The ordi- nance was signed, January 31, by all the members of the convention in the open air on the capitol grounds, only six delegates signing it under pro- test. Senator Toombs was unanimously selected as the first deputy at large from Georgia to the provisional congress at Montgomery, the address to the people being written by him. Forty-two delegates from six seceded states met at Mont- gomerj', Feb. 4, 1861, and Robert Toombs ap- peared to be the choice of the convention for Provisional President, but four states announced their agreement upon Jefferson Davis, who was not present, and when Mr. Davis's name was placed in nomination, Mr. Toombs promptly seconded the motion, and also presented the name of Mr. Stephens for Vice-President. By this action he destroyed his chances for the can- didacy before the people at the special election following the establislunent of a permanent gov- ernment under the Confederate States constitu- tion, into which instrument were incorporated various clianges suggesteil l\v liirn: that congress should grant no extra compensation to any con- tractor after the .service was rendered; that the principal officer in each executive department should be granted a seat upon the floor of eitlier house for the purpose of debate, but with no vote, and that the payment of bounties and gov- ernment aid for internal improvements should be prohibited. He was made chairman of the finance committee of the Provisional congress and the secretary of state in President Davis's cabinet. He emphatically opposed the pro- posed attack on the U.S. forts in Charleston har- bor, as a movement fatal to the Confederacy, and in his intercourse with the governments of Europe, proved his statesmanship by placing the Confederate States in a favorable position before the eyes of commercial Europe, and by gaining the assistance of the maritime powers in the build- ing of a much needed navj', which practically destroyed for the time all commerce under the United States flag. Tiring of the routine of the state department, but retaining his seat in the Confederate congress, he resigned his portfolio, anil on July 21, 1861. joined the Confederate army as brigadier-general: commanded the 1st brig- ade. 1st division. Army of Northern Virginia, and reported to the victorious commanders, Johns- ton and Beauregard, at Manassas. In January,