Robert B. Lindsay

Robert Burns Lindsay (born July 3, 1824 in Lochmaben , Dumfriesshire , Scotland , † February 13, 1902 in Tuscumbia , Alabama ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and from 1870 to 1872 the 22nd Governor of Alabama .

Early years and political advancement

Robert Lindsay attended a denominational school and then the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. In 1844 he came to the United States and visited his brother in North Carolina . He stayed there and started Jura to study and to teach. Lindsay moved to Tuscumbia in Alabama in 1849 and taught there until 1852. He was admitted to the bar in 1852, after which he opened his own law firm and served in the Confederate Army . Lindsay first stepped onto the political stage when he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1853 . He also served in Alabama's Senate in 1857, 1865, and 1870. In addition, in 1860, Lindsay was also a member of the Electoral College .

Governor of Alabama

The previous Governor William Smith ran for re-election in 1870, but was defeated in a head-to-head race. Lindsay became the 22nd governor of Alabama on November 8, 1870; however, Smith refused. to vacate his governor's seat, and occupied it three weeks after Lindsay's inauguration. The second district judge ordered Smith to resign, which he did on November 26, 1870. On the same day Lindsay could also be sworn in. During his tenure, the cities of Gadsen and Birmingham were founded in 1871 , and the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University ) opened. Furthermore, the dispute over the state's participation in railway construction paralyzed the General Assembly for much of his term of office. Lindsay, the only foreign-born citizen to serve as Alabama's governor, turned down re-election and left office on November 17, 1872.

Another résumé

Lindsay resumed his practice as a lawyer. Two months after leaving office, he suddenly developed paralysis from which he would not recover for the rest of his life. Lindsay died on February 12, 1902 and was buried in the Winston Family Cemetery in Tuscumbia. He was married to Sarah Miller Winston and they had nine children together.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Robert Lindsay in the National Governors Association (English)
• The Political Graveyard (English)
• Robert B. Lindsay in the database of Find a Grave (English)