Life span: 12/21/1800 to 09/14/1876TabsLife SummaryFull name: Robert Barnwell RhettPlace of Birth: Beaufort, SCBurial Place: Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SCBirth Date Certainty: ExactDeath Date Certainty: ExactGender: MaleRace: WhiteSectional choice: SouthOrigins: Slave StateNo. of Spouses: 2No. of Children: 12Family: James Smith (father), Marianna Gough (mother), Elizabeth Washington Burnet (first wife, 1827), Catharine Herbert Dent (second wife, 1854)Education: OtherOther Education: Beaufort CollegeOccupation: PoliticianAttorney or JudgeFarmer or PlanterRelation to Slavery: SlaveholderPolitical Parties: DemocraticOther Affiliations: Fire-Eaters (Secessionists)Government: US SenateUS House of RepresentativesState legislatureOther state government Note Cards Robert Barnwell Rhett (Congressional Biographical Directory) ReferenceRHETT, Robert Barnwell, a Representative and a Senator from South Carolina; born Robert Barnwell Smith in Beaufort, S.C., December 21, 1800; completed preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Beaufort in 1824; elected to the State house of representatives for St. Bartholomew’s Parish in 1826, 1828, 1830, and 1832; elected attorney general of South Carolina in 1832; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1849); changed his name to Robert Barnwell Rhett in 1838; member of the Nashville convention in 1850; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John C. Calhoun and served from December 18, 1850, until his resignation effective May 7, 1852; delegate to the South Carolina secession convention in 1860; delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress in 1861; chairman of the committee which reported the constitution of the Confederate States; moved to St. James Parish, La., in 1867; died in St. James Parish, La., on September 14, 1876; interment in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C. "Rhett, Robert Barnwell," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000184. Events Major TopicsSecession Documents Subject Docs Date Title 01/29/1857 Washington (DC) National Era, "Senator Wilson and the Disunionists," January 29, 1857 11/20/1858 New York Times, “A Ghastly Policy,” November 20, 1858 01/03/1861 Charlestown (VA) Free Press, “A Forgeone Conclusion,” January 3, 1861 Images Robert Barnwell Rhett Robert Barnwell Rhett, detail Robert Barnwell Rhett, engraving Bibliography Chicago Style Entry Link Walther, Eric H. The Fire-Eaters. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1992. View Record
Robert Barnwell Rhett (Congressional Biographical Directory) ReferenceRHETT, Robert Barnwell, a Representative and a Senator from South Carolina; born Robert Barnwell Smith in Beaufort, S.C., December 21, 1800; completed preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Beaufort in 1824; elected to the State house of representatives for St. Bartholomew’s Parish in 1826, 1828, 1830, and 1832; elected attorney general of South Carolina in 1832; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1849); changed his name to Robert Barnwell Rhett in 1838; member of the Nashville convention in 1850; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John C. Calhoun and served from December 18, 1850, until his resignation effective May 7, 1852; delegate to the South Carolina secession convention in 1860; delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress in 1861; chairman of the committee which reported the constitution of the Confederate States; moved to St. James Parish, La., in 1867; died in St. James Parish, La., on September 14, 1876; interment in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C. "Rhett, Robert Barnwell," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000184.
