Robert Benjamin Hilton
Encyclopedia
Robert Benjamin Hilton was a lawyer, newspaper editor, soldier, and Confederate
politician from Florida
who served in the Congress of the Confederate States
during the American Civil War
.
as Robert Benjamin Smith. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University
in 1843. He later moved to Tallahassee, Florida
, where he established a successful law practice. He legally changed his surname to Hilton in January 1849. Later that year, he and Augustus Maxwell
entered the newspaper business when they co-owned and edited the Tallahassee Floridian. They later merged the paper with the Southern Journal to form the Floridian and Journal.
In 1858, he was elected as the Clerk of the Florida House of Representatives
.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he received a commission in April 1861 as the captain of Company D of the 1st Florida Infantry. He subsequently represented the state in the First Confederate Congress
and the Second Confederate Congress
from 1862 to 1865. He successfully sponsored a bill in January 1864 to withdraw the exemption from military service that had previously been granted to men of military age if they could provide a paid substitute. He also was active in legislation concerning tax limits and funding the Confederate currency.
After the war he served briefly as a state court judge in 1867. He died in Tallahassee and was buried there in St. John's Episcopal Cemetery.
The journal Hilton maintained during the war is in the archives of the University of Florida
in Gainesville
.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
politician from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
who served in the Congress of the Confederate States
Congress of the Confederate States
The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
Hilton was born in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
as Robert Benjamin Smith. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1843. He later moved to Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, where he established a successful law practice. He legally changed his surname to Hilton in January 1849. Later that year, he and Augustus Maxwell
Augustus Maxwell
Augustus Emmett Maxwell was a United States Representative from Florida as well as a senator in the Confederate Congress representing Florida.-Early life:...
entered the newspaper business when they co-owned and edited the Tallahassee Floridian. They later merged the paper with the Southern Journal to form the Floridian and Journal.
In 1858, he was elected as the Clerk of the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he received a commission in April 1861 as the captain of Company D of the 1st Florida Infantry. He subsequently represented the state in the First Confederate Congress
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and the Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
from 1862 to 1865. He successfully sponsored a bill in January 1864 to withdraw the exemption from military service that had previously been granted to men of military age if they could provide a paid substitute. He also was active in legislation concerning tax limits and funding the Confederate currency.
After the war he served briefly as a state court judge in 1867. He died in Tallahassee and was buried there in St. John's Episcopal Cemetery.
The journal Hilton maintained during the war is in the archives of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
.