Robert B. Elliott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Brown Elliott
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd district |
|
| In office March 4, 1871 – November 1, 1874 |
|
| Preceded by | Solomon L. Hoge |
| Succeeded by | Lewis C. Carpenter |
| South Carolina Attorney General | |
| In office December 14, 1876 – May 29, 1877 |
|
| Governor | Contested between Daniel Henry Chamberlain and Wade Hampton III |
| Preceded by | Samuel W. Melton |
| Succeeded by | James Conner |
| 28th Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office November 24, 1874 – April 14, 1876 |
|
| Governor | Franklin I. Moses, Jr. Daniel Henry Chamberlain |
| Preceded by | Samuel J. Lee |
| Succeeded by | William Henry Wallace / Edmund William McGregor Mackey disputed |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Aiken County | |
| In office November 24, 1874 – April 14, 1876 |
|
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Barnwell County | |
| In office November 24, 1868 – March 1, 1870 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 11, 1842 Liverpool, England, U.K. |
| Died | August 9, 1884 (aged 41) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | lawyer, civil servant |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service |  South Carolina National Guard |
| Years of service | 1869–1871 |
| Rank | Commanding General |
| Battles/wars | Reconstruction |
Robert Brown Elliott (born August 11, 1842 – died August 9, 1884) was an important American politician. He was born in England and had a British Afro-Caribbean background. Elliott served in the United States House of Representatives for South Carolina from 1871 to 1874. This means he was part of the group of people who make laws for the entire country.
Robert Elliott's Early Life and Education
Robert Brown Elliott was born in 1842 in Liverpool, England. His parents likely came from the British West Indies. He went to school at High Holborn Academy in London.
After that, he studied law and graduated from Eton College in 1859. He then joined the British Royal Navy. In 1867, Elliott moved to the United States, arriving in Boston. By the end of that year, he was living in Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1868, he passed the test to become a lawyer in South Carolina. He started his law practice in Columbia, which is the state capital.
Elliott's Political Career in South Carolina
When Robert Elliott arrived in South Carolina in 1867, he was 25 years old. He quickly started his law practice. He also helped create the local Republican Party.
In 1868, he was a delegate for the Edgefield district at the state's constitutional convention. This was a meeting to write new rules for the state. In the late 1860s, he worked as an editor for a newspaper called the South Carolina Leader.
Around the same time, Elliott helped start the first known African-American law firm in the country. It was called Whipper, Elliott, and Allen. His partners were William Whipper and Macon B. Allen.
Serving in the State Legislature
In 1868, Elliott was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. This is where state laws are made. The next year, he was given an important job as assistant adjutant-general.
He became the first African-American commanding general of the South Carolina National Guard. In this role, he helped create a state militia. This group worked to fight against the Ku Klux Klan, a group that caused a lot of trouble at the time.
Elliott's Time in the U.S. Congress
Elliott was elected to the Forty-second United States Congress as a Republican. He won against John E. Bacon. He was elected again to the Forty-third United States Congress, defeating William H. McCann.
While in Congress, he gave an important speech in April 1871. This speech was about a bill to make sure the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was followed. This bill was also known as the "Ku Klux Bill." He also gave another famous speech supporting the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
He left Congress on November 1, 1874. He wanted to become a sheriff and help stop political corruption in South Carolina. He served again in the South Carolina House of Representatives and was chosen as the Speaker of the House.
.png)
Later Political Roles and Challenges
In 1876, Robert Elliott successfully ran for South Carolina Attorney General. This job meant he was the state's top lawyer. However, in the state elections that year, white Democrats gained control of the state government again.
In 1877, the last federal troops left South Carolina. Because of this, Elliott was forced out of his job. In 1878, he started a new law firm with D. Augustus Straker and T. McCants Stewart.
He stayed involved in politics. He worked on John Sherman's campaign for President in 1880. He was also a delegate at the 1880 Republican National Convention. In January 1881, he was part of a group of Black leaders who met with President James Garfield. They wanted to protest the lack of civil and political rights in the South.
However, his law practice did not do well. In 1879, he was appointed a customs inspector for the Treasury Department in Charleston, South Carolina. While working, he got sick with malaria during a trip to Florida. In 1881, he was moved to New Orleans. He was later dismissed from his job in 1882.
In New Orleans, he tried to practice law again, but he found very few clients. He became very poor and died in New Orleans on August 9, 1884.
See also
