Benjamin Cudworth Yancey Jr. (April 27, 1817 – October 24, 1891) was an American politician, lawyer, officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and diplomat.
Benjamin Cudworth Yancey Jr | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the Clarke County district | |
| In office 1875–1879 | |
| United States Minister Resident, Argentina | |
| In office December 1, 1858 – September 30, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | James A. Peden |
| Succeeded by | John F. Cushman |
| President of the Alabama State Senate | |
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives | |
| In office 1855–1856 | |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the Edgefield District district | |
| In office 1846–1849 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 27, 1817 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | October 24, 1891 (aged 74) |
| Resting place | Myrtle Hill Cemetery[1] Rome, Georgia |
| Education | Franklin College (A.B.) Harvard Law School (B.L.) |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Politician, Soldier |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States |
| Service |  Confederate States Army |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Unit |  Georgia State Troops[2] |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
Background
editYancey, the brother of a leading Fire-Eater William Lowndes Yancey, was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1817. He attended Franklin College (now known as the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences), the founding school of the University of Georgia in Athens, was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree in 1836. He also attended Harvard Law School where he graduated with a Bachelor of Law (B.L.).
Political and diplomatic career
editFrom 1846 to 1849, he was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly House of Representatives for the Edgefield District and served one term. He also practiced law in Hamburg, South Carolina at that time. He moved to Cherokee County, Alabama, and was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1855, serving as the president of that body from 1855 to 1856. He was Minister Resident to Argentina in 1858.[3] During the Civil War, he was a major in Cobb's Legion. He participated in the Virginia campaign, but was subsequently transferred, as colonel, to Georgia in command of state troops.
For twenty years he owned a slave who eventually went by the name of Robert Webster, the son of Daniel Webster. He allowed Robert Webster to work in Atlanta during the Civil War, where Webster did quite well financially. After the war, Yancey lost his property and borrowed money from his former slave.[4]
In 1867, Yancey was elected president of the Alabama State Agricultural society, and he served as a trustee of the University of Georgia from 1860 to 1889. In 1875, Yancey was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a representative of Clarke County until 1879. He died in 1891.
Family
editYancey married twice, first to Laura Hines and second to Sarah Paris Hamilton.
References
edit- ^ "Benjamin Cudworth Yancey". Find A Grave. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Owen, Thomas (1921). History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S J Clarke publishing Company. p. 1820.
- ^ A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians, Volume 5, by Lucian Lamar Knight
- ^ Smithsonian Magazine, October 2014
External links
edit- Centennial Alumni Catalog, Hargrett Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, University of Georgia
- History of the University of Georgia, Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949, pp.388-390
- Political Graveyard entry for Benjamin Cudworth Yancy
- The Civil War: Diaries & Collected Papers, Middle Tennessee State University
- U.S. Department of State info for Ambassadorship to Yancy
- Cobb's Legion: Cavalry Battalion
- Virginians: The Family History of John W. Pritchett
