Robert Woodward Barnwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Confederate States Senator fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office February 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| United States Senator fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office June 4, 1850 – December 8, 1850 | |
| Appointed by | Whitemarsh Benjamin Seabrook |
| Preceded by | Franklin Elmore |
| Succeeded by | Robert Rhett |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833 | |
| Preceded by | James Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | William Grayson |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Prince William's Parish | |
| In office November 27, 1826 – January 30, 1828 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1801-08-10)August 10, 1801 |
| Died | November 5, 1882(1882-11-05) (aged 81) |
| Nationality | American |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Beaufort College Harvard University |
Robert Woodward Barnwell (August 10, 1801 – November 5, 1882) was an American slave owner,[1] planter, lawyer, and educator fromSouth Carolina who served as a Senator in both theUnited States Senate and that of theConfederate States of America. Barnwell was a public defender of slavery and secession; he personally owned at least 128 enslaved persons.[2]
He was born inBeaufort, South Carolina, on August 10, 1801, into a prosperous and influential family. His fatherRobert Barnwell had served in theContinental Congress and theU.S. Congress. He was also the great-uncle of one of the most influentialfire-eaters,Robert Barnwell Rhett. This Robert woodward Barnwell began his advanced education atBeaufort College, then graduated fromHarvard. He returned home to manage the family plantation.
Robert Woodward's political career began in 1826 when he served in the South Carolina state House of Representatives forBeaufort County. He held that office until 1828, when he was elected to the U.S. Congress. He served as a congressman from 1829 until 1833. Barnwell supportednullification and feared thatAndrew Jackson was "bent on enforcing his mandate at the point of a bayonet."[3] (He declined to run again in 1832.) From 1833 to 1841, he was head of the South Carolina College, now known as theUniversity of South Carolina, inColumbia.
Barnwell was appointed to the United States Senate after the death ofFranklin H. Elmore on May 29, 1850. He served only from June until December, when after a special election Robert Barnwell Rhett replaced him. During this period the tenuous balance between the northern and southern Senators required such short-term appointments. His one distinction in the Senate involved the admission of California as a state. He opposed statehood in vain, but then had the good grace to introduce and present the credentials for one of her new senators,John C. Frémont.
In 1861, Barnwell was a delegate to theConfederate States of America Provisional Congress held inMontgomery, Alabama. At the congress' first meeting on February 4, 1861, William P. Chilton moved that Barnwell be appointed to preside temporarily over the Congress until its permanent organization. The Congress approved that proposal, but later that day, Barnwell handed the office over toHowell Cobb. In that Congress, he cast the vote (February 9, 1861) that ensured the election ofJefferson Davis as the first and onlyConfederate President and signed theConfederate Constitution. He represented South Carolina in the Confederate Senate from 1862 until 1865.
After theCivil War, he returned to Columbia and the university as an instructor. He was the chairman of the faculty at the South Carolina College from 1866 until his removal in 1873, due to being seen as "an obstacle to the integration" of the college.[2] He died in Columbia on November 5, 1882, but was buried in St. Helena's Churchyard back in Beaufort.
TheUniversity of South Carolina's Barnwell College is named for Barnwell; in July 2021, the university's Presidential Commission on University History recommended removing his name from the college.[2]
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