Preston Smith Brooks Sr.
Born: August 5, 1819
Birthplace: Edgefield County, South Carolina
Father: Colonel Whitfield Butler Brooks 1790 – 1851
(Buried: Edgefield Village Cemetery, Edgefield, South Carolina)
Mother: Mary Parsons Carroll 1800 – 1870
(Buried: Edgefield Village Cemetery, Edgefield, South Carolina)
1st Wife: Caroline Harper Means 1820 – 1843
2nd Wife: Martha Caroline Means 1826 – 1901
Children:
Whitfield D. Brooks 1843 – 1843
Caroline Harper Brooks 1849 – 1924
Rosa Brooks 1849 – 1933
Preston Smith Brooks Jr. 1854 – 1928
Education:
1839: Graduated from South Carolina College
Occupation:
Attorney in Edgefield, South Carolina
Captain Company D Palmetto Regiment in Mexican – American War
Plantation Owner in Cambridge, South Carolina
Political Career:
1844: South Carolina State Representative
1853 – 1856: U.S. Congressman from South Carolina
1856: Attacked United States Senator Charles Sumner in Chamber
1856: Challenged to a duel by U.S. Congressman Anson Burlingame
1856: Tried and convicted for the assault ordered to pay $300.00
1856: Resigned from U.S. Congress despite failed attempt to expel him for assaulting U.S. Senate Charles Sumner
1855 – 1856: Congressional Chairman of State Dept. Expenditures
1856: Reelected as U.S. Congressman at Special Election to fill the seat he had just resigned
1856 – 1857: U.S. Congressman from South Carolina
Interesting Facts:
Brooksville, Florida and Brooks County, Georgia named in his honor
Died: January 27, 1857
Place of Death: Washington, D.C.
Cause of Death: Violent bout of croup
Age at time of Death: 37 years old
Burial Place: Edgefield Village Cemetery, Edgefield, South Carolina
Last edited by a moderator: