Robert Kingston Scott | |
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| 74th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office July 6, 1868 – December 7, 1872 | |
| Lieutenant | Lemuel Boozer Alonzo J. Ransier |
| Preceded by | James Lawrence Orr |
| Succeeded by | Franklin I. Moses, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1826-07-08)July 8, 1826 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | August 12, 1900(1900-08-12) (aged 74) Napoleon, Ohio, US |
| Resting place | Glenwood Cemetery, Napoleon, Ohio |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | physician,lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1868 |
| Rank | Brigadier General BrevetMajor General |
| Commands | 68th Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Robert Kingston Scott (July 8, 1826 – August 12, 1900) was an AmericanRepublicanpolitician, the 74thgovernor of South Carolina, and an officer in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War. In 1891 he built a Queen Anne Italianate Victorian home in Napoleon, Ohio and lived there until his death in 1900. It still stands to this day in Napoleon on the corner of W. Clinton Street and Haley Ave.
Robert K. Scott was born inArmstrong County, Pennsylvania, to a military family. His grandfather fought in theAmerican Revolution and his father in theWar of 1812. Scott studiedmedicine and began practice inHenry County, Ohio. While in Ohio he became a member of the anti-slavery group called theLiberty Party.
In October 1861, Scott becamelieutenant colonel of the68th Ohio Infantry, andcolonel of that regiment in 1862. He served inTennessee, where he commanded the advance ofMajor GeneralJohn A. Logan'sdivision on the march intoMississippi. He was engaged atPort Gibson,Raymond, andChampion Hill.
He was afterward at the head of abrigade in theXVII Corps, and was taken prisoner nearAtlanta. There are conflicting claims about how he gained freedom. Some claim he was part of a prisoner exchange on September 24, 1864 and was put intoSherman's operations before that city and in the march to the sea, while records also indicate that he escaped by jumping from a prisoner train.
Scott was commissioned as abrigadier general of volunteers on January 12, 1865, and also received thebrevet ranks of brigadier and major general in the volunteer army, to date from January 26, and December 2, 1865, respectively.
Between 1865–68, General Scott was assistant commissioner of theSouth CarolinaBureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, popularly known as the Freedmen's Bureau. In July 1868, he resigned from theRegular Army and entered politics.
Later that year, he became the first governor of the reconstructedSouth Carolina as a Republican. In 1870, theSouth Carolina Constitution of 1868 lifted the rule that had until then prevented a governor's re-election until four years had passed since leaving office. This allowed Scott to become the first governor of South Carolina to be elected to two consecutive terms. He was re-elected by a majority of 33,534 votes of a total 136,608. During his time in office, Klan violence reached an all-time high, while simultaneously the federal government was attempting to withdraw force from South Carolina so as to return the state to "normalcy," this combination left Scott in an untenable position. The majority of those voting for Scott in both of his elections were newly freedAfrican-AmericanFreedmen, South Carolina whites remained overtly and overwhelmingly hostile to him during his entire time in office.[1] His political allies such asAfrican-American leaderBenjamin F. Randolph were assassinated by the Klan.[2] Governor Scott took the step of arming African-Americans. He formed militias to defend the Republican government of the state and the militias were legally opened to anyone, however, South Carolina whites refused to join them, as a result they in effect became "black militias." In most of these militias the officers were white officers who had fought in the Union Army during the war, and in some cases were educated African-Americans from northern states who had moved to the state to work in theFreedmen's Bureau after the war.[3] Scott got support from PresidentUlysses S. Grant, however the rest of the military and northern ambivalence in general hampered his efforts.[4] InColleton County,Charleston,Columbia,Georgetown County andBeaufort County (which at the time included what is todayJasper County as well) Scott had enough federal troops to effectively police the situation, keep the Klan and general white violence at bay, and ensure free and fair elections. However, inUpstate South Carolina and a large handful of other rural areas he did not.[5]
Judge Richard B. Carpenter testified in an 1872 congressional hearing that voter fraud was involved in Scott's re-election, but Scott remained in office. Ironically, Carpenter not only owed him money at the time, but also continued to ask for more with the promise of political favors in return.[6][full citation needed]
Franklin J. Moses, Jr., the first governor after him, claimed Scott "fraudulently signed state bonds in the St James Hotel in New York under the joint influence of alcohol and burlesque queenPauline Markham," known as one of "The British Blondes." He also regularly borrowed money from Scott.[7]
Wade Hampton III, the third governor after Scott, who came to power as a result of a racist terrorist campaign led by theRed Shirts militia, indicted him for allegedly "fraudulently issuing three warrants for $48,645 to non-existent payees in 1871." At the same time, he sent letters to Scott promising not to extradite him nor force him to stand trial.[8] [MSS 176]
In 1877 Scott returned toNapoleon, Ohio, whenDemocrats returned to power in the South Carolina executive, possibly out of fear of assassination.
He settled down with his family, including his only son, R.K. Scott, Jr., who was known as "Arkie" because of his initials. On Christmas Day, 1880, 15-year-old Arkie went missing. He was "inclined to frequent taverns."[9] Scott suspected he was hiding in the apartment of his friend Warren G. Drury, aged 23. When Drury refused to let him in, Drury was shot by a bullet from Scott's pistol and died the next day. Scott claimed his weapon accidentally discharged, and the subsequent murder trial consumed national attention. On November 5, 1881, he was acquitted of murder.
Scott died in Napoleon and was buried in Henry County, Ohio.
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| Party political offices | ||
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| First | Republican nominee forGovernor of South Carolina 1868,1870 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of South Carolina 1868–1872 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
