Robert Kingston Scott

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Robert Kingston Scott

Robert Kingston Scott (born July 8, 1826 in Armstrong County , Pennsylvania , † August 12, 1900 in Henry County , Ohio ) was an American politician and Governor of South Carolina from 1868 to 1872 .

Early years

Robert Scott came to Ohio from Pennsylvania when he was young. There he briefly studied at Central College and Starling Medical College (today: The Ohio State University College of Medicine ). In the following years he toured California, where he tried his hand at mining, and a few countries in Latin America. Then he returned to Ohio, where he established himself as a doctor. However, he soon gave up this job to try his hand at real estate. During the American-Mexican War from 1846 to 1848 he was a captain. During the 1862 Civil War, Scott became a Colonel in the 68th Infantry Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. When Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed during the campaign against Atlanta in 1864, Scott fought by his side. Scott was captured and later exchanged. The 68th regiment lost a total of 300 men during the war. Scott was named Brigade General of the Volunteer Regiment on January 16, 1865, and received the rank of Major General later that year.

Political career in South Carolina

In January 1866 he was assigned to the Freedmen's Bureau as an "assistant commissionar" to South Carolina to relieve General Rufus Saxton . When he arrived in Charleston, he found the city in chaos and the military in a desolate state. He quickly restored order and gained the respect of Charleston residents for his leadership skills. In 1868 he was nominated by the Republican Party as their top candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. The election was the first under the new 1868 Constitution, and Scott won with 75% of the vote against his Democratic opponent WD Porter. On July 6, 1868, Maj. Gen. Edward Richard Sprigg Canby , the state's military governor, ordered the newly elected legislature to take office. On the day he took office on July 9, 1868, the State Parliament of South Carolina ratified the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which gave former slaves citizenship. This paved the way for the end of military rule, although the troops remained in the country until 1877.

The new constitution allowed for re-election of the governor, which Scott sought and achieved in 1870. That year he won the election with 62.3% of the vote against RB Carpenter, who got 37.7%. This made Scott the first South Carolina governor to serve two consecutive terms and four years in a row. His activities as governor were and are controversial to this day. Since the national debt tripled during his tenure, he was accused of wasting money. In the fall of 1871, the governor and other state officials were openly charged with fraudulent over-issuance of government bonds. Governor Scott justified his position in a communication to the state parliament and thus avoided impeachment proceedings.

His successor in office also accused him of wasting money and even talked about electoral fraud. Adding to this was the riots caused by the Ku Klux Klan , which joined the protests against Scott and developed such terror that the governor needed the military to restore order. Political stability hung by a thread during these years.

Another résumé

After his second term, Scott opened a real estate business in Columbia. He soon moved back to Ohio for fear of being charged for possible misconduct during his tenure.

There he came under suspicion of murder in 1880 when he shot and killed the 23-year-old Warren G. Drury on December 25, 1880 when he was looking for his own son. He was acquitted on November 5, 1881 by a jury. The defense stated for his relief that the shot from the pistol came off accidentally.

Robert Scott died in 1900. He was married to Rebecca J. Lowry, with whom he had two children.

literature

  • John Hope Franklin: Reconstruction After the Civil War . Second edition. Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1995. ISBN 0226260798
  • Jerry Lee West: The Reconstruction. Ku Klux Klan of York County, South Carolina, 1865-1877 Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc (August 2002) ISBN 0786412585
  • Richard Zuczek: State of Rebellion: Reconstruction in South Carolina . Publisher: University of South Carolina Press 2009 ISBN 978-1-5700-3848-8
  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4. Meckler Books, Westport, CT, 1978. 4 volumes.
  • The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 12. James T. White & Company, New York

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personal data
SURNAME Scott, Robert Kingston
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician and governor of South Carolina (1868–1872)
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH Armstrong County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 1900
Place of death Henry County , Ohio