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Rufus Willis Cobb (February 25, 1829 – November 26, 1913) was an American Democratic politician who was the 25th Governor of Alabama from 1878 to 1882. He is the only person to serve as both Governor of Alabama and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alabama at the same time.


Biography

Rufus Wills Cobb was born on February 25, 1829, in Ashville, St. Clair County,
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. Cobb's ancestors came to America from England and Wales, settling in Virginia in the colonial era and moving to Alabama in the early 1800s.Our state--Alabama - Page 343 books.google.com/books?id=t-syAQAAIAAJ Thomas McAdory Owen - 1927 - He was the son of John W. and Catherine (Stevens) Leak Cobb, who lived on a plantation, Cobb Springs, at Ashville. Cobb was educated at an academy in Ashville and graduated from the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
, at
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
, in 1850. Returning to Ashville, he
read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...
in the office of John C. Thomasson and was admitted to the bar in 1855. He practiced law in St. Clair until he moved to Shelby County, Alabama, in 1867 and became a law partner of B. B. Lewis. When Alabama declared secession from the United States in 1861, Cobb joined 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 ...
as captain of Co. C., Tenth Alabama Infantry Regiment, Forney's brigade, and went to Virginia with that regiment. He remained there until, in 1863, he was assigned to General
Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was a military commander and politician of the Confederate States of America. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil ...
's cavalry in
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
and placed in charge of a scouting party. At the end of the war, Cobb resumed his law practice. Cobb was elected to the
Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...
in 1872 and 1876. During his term in the state senate, he collaborated with Peter Hamilton of Mobile on a plan for readjusting the state debt, which the legislature adopted. Cobb was a friend and advisor of Governor
George Smith Houston George Smith Houston (January 17, 1811 – December 31, 1879) was an American Democratic politician who was the 24th Governor of Alabama from 1874 to 1878. He was also a congressman and senator for Alabama. Early life Houston was born near Fra ...
during Houston's administration. Cobb was elected governor in 1878 and reelected in 1880. "He had a quiet administration, without striking events." (Owen, p. 357) The population of Alabama was growing; by 1880, the federal census recorded 1,262,505, and the problems of administrative finance and control of the railroads fell to Cobb. "His administration made improvements in tax assessment and reduced the cost of surplus in the state treasury." (Stewart, p. 127) Also, during Cobb's two terms, the State Railroad Commission, the State Bar Association, and the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute were created. The records of Governor Cobb's administration reflect that prohibition was a significant controversy during his last term. The prohibition forces attempted to pass a statewide local option law but were unsuccessful. After his term as governor had expired, he retired to private life for a time, but in 1888 accepted the appointment to the office of
probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...
judge of Shelby County. Cobb also served as president of the Central Iron Works at
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from 1873 to 1891, continuing to hold his title while serving as governor. He was also an attorney for the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...
; he was involved in cotton planting and developing an iron mine, the Delmar, in northern Alabama. Cobb belonged to all the branches of the York Rite Masons and was grand master of the grand lodge of Alabama in 1879 and 1880. He was the only man who was grand master and governor at the same time. He was a member of all the lodges of the
Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...
Masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...
up to and including the thirty-second degree. Cobb's last residence was Birmingham. His grave is located in Birmingham's Forest Hill Cemetery.


References

* Owen, Thomas McAdory. ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography Vol. III'', 1978. * Stewart, John Craig. ''The Governors of Alabama'', 1975.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Rufus W. 1829 births 1913 deaths People from St. Clair County, Alabama Alabama state senators Confederate States Army officers Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama People of Alabama in the American Civil War Democratic Party governors of Alabama American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature