Robert Benjamin Hilton facts for kids

Robert Benjamin Hilton (born Smith in 1821) was an American lawyer and newspaper editor. He also served as a soldier and a politician for the Confederate States. He was part of their Congress during the American Civil War.

Life Story of Robert Hilton

Robert Benjamin Smith was born in Virginia in 1821. He went to Brown University and finished his studies in 1843.

Later, he moved to Tallahassee, Florida. There, he started a successful law business. In January 1849, he legally changed his last name to Hilton. That same year, he and Augustus Maxwell became partners in the newspaper business. They owned and edited a newspaper called the Floridian. Later, they combined it with another paper, the Southern Journal. This created a new newspaper called the Floridian and Journal.

In 1858, Robert Hilton was chosen to be the Clerk for the Florida House of Representatives. This meant he helped manage the official records and meetings for the state's lawmakers.

Hilton's Role in the Civil War

When the American Civil War began in April 1861, Robert Hilton joined the army. He became a Captain in Company D of the 1st Florida Infantry.

From 1862 to 1865, he represented Florida in the Confederate Congress. He was part of both the First Confederate Congress and the Second Confederate Congress. In January 1864, he helped pass a law. This law made sure that more men had to serve in the military. He also worked on laws about taxes and how to pay for the Confederate money.

After the war ended, he worked briefly as a state court judge in 1867. Robert Hilton passed away in Tallahassee in 1894. He was buried in St. John's Episcopal Cemetery there.

The journal Robert Hilton kept during the war is now stored at the University of Florida in Gainesville.