Cobb, Howell

Cobb, Howell
born Sept. 7, 1815, Jefferson county, Ga., U.S.
died Oct. 9, 1868, New York, N.Y.

U.S. politician.

He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–51, 1855–57), where he promoted Southern interests by supporting the annexation of Texas and the Mexican War. Nevertheless, he also supported the Compromise of 1850, which was favoured by the North. He served as governor of Georgia (1851–53). He supported the presidential candidacy of James Buchanan, who appointed him secretary of the treasury (1857–60). An opponent of Abraham Lincoln, he became a spokesman for secession. He served as chairman of the convention called to organize the Confederacy, then organized his own regiment and led it to the front in the American Civil War.

* * *

▪ American politician
born Sept. 7, 1815, Jefferson County, Ga., U.S.
died Oct. 9, 1868, New York City
 Georgia politician who championed Southern unionism during the 1850s but then advocated immediate secession following the election of Abraham Lincoln.

      Cobb was born into the antebellum plantation elite and grew up in Athens, Ga. He was graduated from the University of Georgia in 1834, studied law for two years, and in 1836 was admitted to the bar. The following year (1837), Cobb was elected solicitor general of a strongly pro-Union district in northeastern Georgia. Cobb held the office of solicitor for three years; in 1842 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from essentially the same district.

      Cobb served in Congress from 1842 to 1851 and again from 1855 to 1857; he supported the annexation of Texas, the war with Mexico, and the extension of slavery into the territories. But he broke with the most extreme proslavery Southerners when he advocated extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, opposed the creation of a sectional political party, and supported the Compromise of 1850.

      In 1851 Cobb ran for governor of Georgia on the ticket of the newly formed Constitutional Union Party and won a solid victory over a pro-secession candidate. But in so doing, he severed all ties with pro-secessionist Democrats, became politically isolated, and was overwhelmingly defeated in 1854, when he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

      His pro-Union district returned Cobb to Congress in 1855, and the following year he played a major role in the nomination and election of James Buchanan as president. Buchanan made Cobb secretary of the treasury, a position Cobb held until Lincoln was elected president in 1860.

      Immediately following Lincoln's election, Cobb resigned his Cabinet post, returned to Georgia, and became an ardent spokesman for secession. He served as chairman of the Montgomery, Ala., convention called to organize the Confederacy, then organized his own regiment and led it to the front. He eventually rose to the rank of major general and commanded the District of Georgia until forced to surrender at the end of the war.

      A bitter opponent of Reconstruction, Cobb in his last years practiced law in Macon, Ga.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cobb, Howell — (7 sep. 1815, cond. de Jefferson, Ga., EE.UU.–9 oct. 1868, Nueva York, N.Y.). Político estadounidense. Se desempeñó en la Cámara de Representantes (1843–51, 1855–57), donde promovió los intereses del Sur con su apoyo a la anexión de Texas y a la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Howell Cobb — Howell Cobb, (* 7. September 1815 im Jefferson County, Georgia; † 9. Oktober 1868 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Er gehörte dem Kabinett von Präsident James Buchana …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Howell Cobb — For other uses, see Howell Cobb (disambiguation). Howell Cobb 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives In office December 22, 1849 – March 4, 1851 President …   Wikipedia

  • Howell Cobb — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cobb. Portrait de Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (7 septembre 1815 – 9 octobre 1868) est un homme politique am …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Howell Cobb (born 1772) — otheruses4|the U.S. Representative (1807 1812) and War of 1812 veteran Howell Cobb|Cobb s great nephew who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Governor of Georgia, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Head of the Confederate …   Wikipedia

  • Cobb — /kob/, n. 1. Howell /how euhl/, 1815 68, U.S. politician: Speaker of the House 1849 51. 2. Irvin S(hrewsbury), 1876 1944, U.S. humorist and writer. 3. Ty(rus Raymond) /tuy reuhs/, ( the Georgia Peach ), 1886 1961, U.S. baseball player. * * * (as… …   Universalium

  • Cobb — (as used in expressions) Cobb, Howell Cobb, Ty Tyrus Raymond Cobb …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Howell Cobb (1772–1818) — Howell Cobb (* 3. August 1772 im Granville County, North Carolina; † 26. Mai 1818 bei Louisville, Georgia) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1807 und 1812 vertrat er den Bundesstaat Georgia im US Repräsentantenhaus. Werdegang… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cobb (Familienname) — Cobb ist ein Familienname. Bekannte Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cobb (surname) — Cobb is a surname of Anglo Irish origin, and may refer to: People Amasa Cobb, American politician Andrew R. Cobb (1876 1943), Canadian architect Arnett Cobb, American jazz tenor saxophonist Artie Cobb, American poker player Britt Cobb, American… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”