Thomas James Robertson | |
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| United States Senator fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office July 15, 1868 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | James Chesnut, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Butler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1823-08-03)August 3, 1823 nearWinnsboro, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1897(1897-10-13) (aged 74) |
| Resting place | Elmwood Cemetery |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | South Carolina College |
Thomas James Robertson (August 3, 1823 – October 13, 1897) was aUnited States senator fromSouth Carolina. Born nearWinnsboro, he completed preparatory studies and graduated from South Carolina College (now theUniversity of South Carolina) atColumbia in 1843. He engaged in planting and owned slaves.[1] He was a member of theState constitutional convention in 1865.
Upon the readmission of the State of South Carolina to representation inCongress in 1868, Robertson was elected as aRepublican to the U.S. Senate; he was reelected in 1871 and served from July 15, 1868, to March 3, 1877, and was not a candidate for reelection amidst the end ofReconstruction. While in the Senate he was chairman of theCommittee on Manufactures (Forty-second through Forty-fourth Congresses). Robertson voted against theKu Klux Klan Act, but voted for theCivil Rights Act of 1875.[2][3] After serving in Congress, Robertson retired from public life and active business due to ill health, and in 1897 died in Columbia. He was buried inElmwood Cemetery.
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by vacant1 | U.S. senator (Class 2) from South Carolina 1868–1877 Served alongside:Frederick A. Sawyer,John J. Patterson | Succeeded by |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. Because of South Carolina's secession from the Union in 1860, seat was declared vacant from 1860-1868 whenJames Chesnut, Jr. withdrew from the Senate. | ||
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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