George Dionysius Tillman (August 21, 1826 – February 2, 1902) was a Democratic politician from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. He was a state representative, state senator, and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. He was the brother of Governor Benjamin Ryan Tillman, and father of

James H. Tillman James Hammond Tillman (June 27, 1869 – April 1, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician from South Carolina. Born in Edgefield County, he received his education in the Curryton Academy; the Virginia Military Institute; the Emerson Institu ...

, who was

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of the lieutenant governor are chiefly ce ...

from 1901 to 1903 and in the latter year shot newspaper editor

Narciso Gener Gonzales Narciso Gener Gonzales (August 5, 1858 – January 19, 1903) was an American journalist born in Eddingsville, Edisto Island, South Carolina. He founded ''The State'' newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, with his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales i ...

and was acquitted.Edgar, Walter B. (2006). The South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 962–963. .

Early life

He was born near Curryton, South Carolina, and attended schools in

Penfield, Georgia Penfield, Georgia, United States was established shortly after 1829 in Greene County, Georgia, Greene County, and named in honor of Josiah Penfield (1785–1828), a Savannah, Georgia, Savannah merchant and silversmith from Fairfield, Connecticut, ...

, and in

Greenwood, South Carolina Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 22,545 down from 23,222 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Lander University. History In 1823 John McG ...

. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

but did not graduate. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1848, and commenced practice in

Edgefield, South Carolina Edgefield is a town in and the county seat of Edgefield County, South Carolina, Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Edgefield is part of the Augusta, Georgia met ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. He served in the 3rd South Carolina Infantry Regiment in 1862. After the 3rd South Carolina was disbanded, he joined the 2nd South Carolina Artillery, in which he served until the close of the war.

Political career

He served as a state representative from 1854 to 1855 and in 1864. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1865, held under the Reconstruction proclamation of President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

. He then served as a state senator in 1865. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1876 to the

Forty-fifth Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

. Tillman was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Forty-sixth Congress from the Fifth district (1879–1881), and re-elected to the

Forty-seventh Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881, ...

(1881–1883). He served from March 3, 1881, to June 19, 1882, when his election was overturned by the House. Republican

Robert Smalls Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. During the American Civil War, the still enslaved Smalls commandeered a Confederate transport ship in Charlesto ...

, his African-American opponent in 1880, contested the election, and succeeded Tillman. Tillman was elected to the Forty-eighth Congress from the Second district and to the four succeeding Congresses (1883–1893). He served as chairman of the Committee on

Patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

s in the

Fifty-second Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1891 ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1892. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1895, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election as Governor of South Carolina in 1898. Besides his political and legal activities, he engaged in agricultural pursuits and also worked as a publicist. He died in Clarks Hill,

McCormick County, South Carolina McCormick County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,526, making it the second-least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is McCormick. The county was formed in 1 ...

, on February 2, 1902, and was interred in the Bethlehem Baptist Church Community Cemetery.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, George Dionysius 1826 births 1902 deaths People from Edgefield County, South Carolina Harvard University alumni Confederate States Army personnel Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Benjamin Tillman 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves