Benjamin Harvey Hill Sr.
Born: September 14, 1823
Birthplace: Hillsboro, Jasper County, Georgia
Father: John J. Hill 1785 – 1848
(Buried: Hill Family Cemetery, Long Cane, Georgia)
Mother: Sarah Elizabeth Parham 1790 – 1854
(Buried: Hill Family Cemetery, Long Cane, Georgia)
Wife: Caroline Elizabeth Holt 1825 – 1904
(Buried: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia)
Children:
Judge Benjamin Harvey Hill Jr. 1849 – 1922
(Buried: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia)
Emily Leila Hill Ridley 1851 – 1883
(Buried: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia)
Charles Dougherty Hill 1852 – 1910
(Buried: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia)
John Thomas Hill 1854 – 1857
(Buried: Hill Family Cemetery, Long Cane, Georgia)
Political Party: Whig Party, Know Nothing Party, Constitutional Union Party, Democratic Party
Education:
1844: Graduated from University of Georgia
Occupation before War:
1844 – 1861: Attorney in LaGrange, Georgia
1851: Georgia State Representative
1859 – 1860: Georgia State Senator
Civil War Career:
Actively opposed Secession of Georgia
1861: Member of Georgia State Secession Convention
1861 – 1862: George Delegate Confederate Provisional Congress
1862 – 1865: Confederate States Senator from Georgia
1862 – 1865: Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee
1862 – 1865: Member of Senate Patents Committee
1862 – 1864: Member of Senate Printing Committee
1862 – 1864: Member of Congress Joint Printing Committee
1862: Member of Senate Naval Affairs Committee
Known as Champion of Strong government in Congress.
He worked to establish a supreme court and powerful court of claims
He refused to interfere with prerogatives of the Commander–in–chief
One of two senators who opposed the creation of the office of General–in–Chief for Robert E. Lee
He often disagreed with the Confederate War Department.
He opposed conscription on principal but later went before Georgia state legislature to defend it.
1865: Arrested by the United States Army spending three months at Fort Lafayette he was paroled by President Andrew Johnson.
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1875: Attorney in LaGrange, Georgia
1875 – 1877: United States Congressman from Georgia
1875 – 1877: Member of House Ways and Means Committee
1877 – 1882: United States Senator from Georgia
1877 – 1879: Member of Senate Mines and Mining Committee
1879 – 1882: Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee
1879 – 1881: Chairman Senate Audit and Control of Expenses
Died: August 16, 1882
Place of Death: Atlanta, Georgia
Age at time of Death: 58 years old
Burial Place: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia
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