Howell Cobb

• 1. A Boy From Jefferson County

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  Howell Cobb entered the world on the 7th of September 1815 in Jefferson County, Georgia. He grew up in Athens and studied at the University of Georgia. There he joined the Phi Kappa Literary Society while learning law. By 1836 he had been admitted to the bar. That same year he became solicitor general for Georgia's western judicial circuit. His family background included Welsh American descent through his father John A. Cobb and mother Sarah. In May 1835 he married Mary Ann Lamar from a prominent Southern family. Her relatives included Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar and Georgia financier Gazaway Bugg Lamar. The couple would have eleven children between 1838 and 1861.

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• 2. Speaker At Thirty Four Years Old

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  After sixty three ballots Howell Cobb became Speaker of the House on the 22nd of December 1849. He was only thirty four years old when elected. This made him one of the youngest speakers in history. During the Mexican, American War he supported President James K. Polk's administration effectively. He sided with Andrew Jackson on nullification issues regarding import tariffs. When the Compromise of 1850 passed he became its staunch supporter as a Union Democrat. He joined Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs in campaigning for delegates to a state convention. That convention overwhelmingly affirmed the Georgia Platform accepting the compromise. Cobb then won election as governor of Georgia by a large majority.

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• 3. Architect Of Confederate Independence

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  In 1860 Cobb ceased being a Unionist and led the secession movement. He once owned one thousand slaves which influenced his political stance. On the 4th of February 1861 delegates assembled in Montgomery Alabama under his guidance. They drafted a constitution for the new Confederacy while he served as president of the Provisional Congress. Cobb swore in Jefferson Davis as president before resigning to join the military. His role shifted from legislator to founder during these critical months. The Southern slave states declared their separation from the United States under his leadership. This transition marked his departure from federal service into revolutionary action.

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• 4. General In The Army Of Northern Virginia

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  Cobb received commission as colonel of the 16th Georgia Infantry when war erupted. He was appointed brigadier general on the 13th of February 1862. His brigade played a key role at Crampton's Gap during the Battle of South Mountain. Men fought there at bloody cost but delayed Union advance through the gap. Later they engaged at the subsequent Battle of Antietam. By the 9th of September 1863 he had been promoted to major general. He commanded the District of Georgia and Florida after that date. During Sherman's March to the Sea an army camped near Cobb's plantation. Sherman described him as one of the leading rebels of the South then a general. The general burned the plantation and confiscated property instructing subordinates to spare nothing.

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• 5. Final Days And Modern Controversy

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  Cobb surrendered to the U.S. at Macon Georgia on the 20th of April 1865. Following the Civil War he resumed law practice despite pressure from constituents. He refused public remarks on Reconstruction policy until receiving a presidential pardon in early 1868. That autumn he vacationed in New York City where he died of a heart attack. His body returned to Athens for burial in Oconee Hill Cemetery. In June 1820 Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered his portrait removed from display. This occurred during George Floyd protests when the portrait was taken down from the Speaker's Lobby outside the House Chamber. The removal sparked debate about honoring figures who led the Confederacy.

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