Alfred H. Colquitt | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Georgia |
|
In office March 4, 1883 – March 26, 1894 |
|
Preceded by | Middleton P. Barrow |
Succeeded by | Patrick Walsh |
49th Governor of Georgia | |
In office January 12, 1877 – November 4, 1882 |
|
Preceded by | James M. Smith |
Succeeded by | Alexander H. Stephens |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 2nd district |
|
In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
|
Preceded by | James Johnson |
Succeeded by | Martin J. Crawford |
Member of the Georgia State Legislature | |
Personal details | |
Born |
Alfred Holt Colquitt April 20, 1824 Monroe, Georgia |
Died | March 26, 1894 Washington, D.C. |
(aged 69)
Resting place |
Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Georgia |
Political party | Democratic |
Military service | |
Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1846–1848 1861–1865 |
Rank |
Major (USA) Brigadier General (CSA) |
Commands |
6th Georgia Infantry Regiment Colquitt's Brigade |
Battles/wars |
Mexican-American War American Civil War |
Alfred Holt Colquitt (April 20, 1824 – March 26, 1894) was a lawyer, preacher, soldier, 49th Governor of Georgia (1877-1882) and two-term U.S. Senator from Georgia (1883-1894), dying in office. He also served as an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of brigadier general.
Alfred Colquitt was born in Monroe, Georgia. His father, Walter T. Colquitt was a United States Representative and Senator from Georgia. The younger Colquitt graduated from Princeton College in 1844, studied law and passed his bar examination in 1846. He began practicing law in Monroe.
During the Mexican-American War, he served as a paymaster in the United States Army at the rank of major. After the war, Colquitt was elected as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855. He next was elected to and served in the Georgia state legislature. Colquitt was a delegate to The Georgia Secession Convention of 1861—voting in favor of secession and signing Georgia's Ordinance of Secession on January 19, 1861.
At the beginning of the civil war, Colquitt was appointed captain in the 6th Georgia Infantry. He saw action in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days' Battles. He rose through the ranks to become a brigadier general in 1862. He led his brigade under Stonewall Jackson in the Battle of South Mountain,Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Battle of Chancellorsville. After Chancellorsville, some questions arose about Colquitt's performance during that battle, and his brigade was transferred to North Carolina in exchange for another. His brigade was transferred again in the summer of 1863 to protect Charleston, South Carolina. In February 1864, Colquitt marched his brigade south to help defend against the Union invasion of Florida, and was victorious in the Battle of Olustee. After this battle, Colquitt's brigade rejoined Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Late in the war the brigade returned to defend North Carolina, where Colquitt surrendered in 1865.