Preston Brooks
| Preston Brooks | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th district |
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In office August 1, 1856 – January 27, 1857 |
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| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Milledge L. Bonham |
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In office March 4, 1853 – July 15, 1856 |
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| Preceded by | John McQueen |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Edgefield District | |
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In office November 25, 1844 – December 15, 1845 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Preston Smith Brooks August 5, 1819 Edgefield County, South Carolina |
| Died | January 27, 1857 (aged 37) Washington D.C. |
| Resting place | Edgefield, South Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
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| Service/branch |
 United States Army
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| Years of service | 1846–1848 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
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| Commands | Palmetto Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War |
Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was an American politician and Member of the US House of Representative from South Carolina, serving from 1853 until his resignation in July 1856 and again from August 1856 until his death.
Brooks, a Democrat, was a fervent advocate of slavery and states' rights. He is primarily remembered for his May 22, 1856 assault upon abolitionist and Republican Senator Charles Sumner; Brooks beat Sumner with a cane on the floor of the United States Senate in retaliation for an anti-slavery speech in which Sumner verbally attacked Brooks' second cousin, Senator Andrew Butler. Brooks' action was applauded by many Southerners and abhorred in the North. An attempt to oust him from the House of Representatives failed, and he received only token punishment in his criminal trial. He resigned his seat in July 1856 to give his constituents the opportunity to ratify his conduct in a special election, which they did by electing him in August to fill the vacancy created by his resignation. He was reelected to a full term in November 1856 but died five weeks before the term began in March 1857.
Sumner was seriously injured and unable to take his seat in the Senate for three years, though eventually he recovered and resumed his Senate career.
Brooks' act and the polarizing national reaction to it are frequently cited as a major factor in the rising tensions leading up to the American Civil War.
Born in Roseland, Edgefield County, South Carolina, he was the son of Whitfield and Mary Parsons-Carroll Brooks. Brooks attended South Carolina College (now known as the University of South Carolina) but was expelled just before graduation for threatening local police officers with firearms. In 1840, Brooks fought a duel with future Texas Senator Louis T. Wigfall and was shot in the hip, forcing him to use a walking cane for the rest of his life. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845. Brooks served in the Mexican–American War with the Palmetto Regiment.
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