
author
1824–1907
A powerful and deeply controversial figure in Alabama politics, this longtime U.S. senator helped shape debates over American expansion abroad and race at home. Before his 30 years in the Senate, he served as a Confederate general during the Civil War.

by Rossiter Johnson, Selden Connor, John Brown Gordon, Henry W. B. (Henry Ward Beecher) Howard, O. O. (Oliver Otis) Howard, John Tyler Morgan, John Clark Ridpath
Born in Athens, Tennessee, on June 20, 1824, he moved with his family to Alabama as a child, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1845. During the Civil War he served in the Confederate army and rose to the rank of brigadier general.
After the war, he became one of Alabama’s most influential political leaders. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1876, he served from 1877 until his death in 1907, winning six terms and becoming known for his long career in national politics.
He is remembered both for his influence and for the causes he championed. Historical sources describe him as an important voice in foreign policy debates, especially over American expansion and a canal through Central America, while also noting his prominent role in promoting white supremacist politics during the post-Reconstruction era. He died in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 1907.