When and where was Howell Cobb born?
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.
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.
In May 1835 he married Mary Ann Lamar from a prominent Southern family. The couple would have eleven children between 1838 and 1861.
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 which made him one of the youngest speakers in history.
Cobb ceased being a Unionist and led the secession movement because he once owned one thousand slaves which influenced his political stance. The Southern slave states declared their separation from the United States under his leadership.
He was appointed brigadier general on the 13th of February 1862. By the 9th of September 1863 he had been promoted to major general.
Cobb surrendered to the U.S. at Macon Georgia on the 20th of April 1865. That autumn he vacationed in New York City where he died of a heart attack before his body returned to Athens for burial in Oconee Hill Cemetery.