Preston Brooks

Preston Brooks
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th district
In office
August 1, 1856 – January 27, 1857
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byMilledge Bonham
In office
March 4, 1853 – July 15, 1856
Preceded byJohn McQueen
Succeeded byHimself
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the Edgefield County district
In office
November 25, 1844 – December 15, 1845
Personal details
Born
Preston Smith Brooks

(1819-08-05)August 5, 1819
Edgefield County, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 1857(1857-01-27) (aged 37)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of South Carolina
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1846–1848
RankColonel
CommandsPalmetto Regiment
Battles/wars

Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was an American politician and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, serving from 1853 until his resignation in July 1856 and again from August 1856 until his death.

A member of the Democratic Party, Brooks was a strong advocate of slavery and states' rights to enforce slavery nationally. He is most remembered for his May 22, 1856 attack upon abolitionist and Republican Senator Charles Sumner, whom he beat nearly to death; 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's first cousin once removed,[1]: 7 [2] South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler.

Sumner was seriously injured by Brooks's beating, and was unable to resume his seat in the Senate for three years, though eventually he recovered and resumed his Senate career.[1]: 104  The Massachusetts Legislature reelected Sumner in 1856, "and let his seat sit vacant during his absence as a reminder of Southern brutality".[3]

An attempt to oust Brooks from the House of Representatives failed, and he received only token punishment in his criminal trial. He resigned his seat in July 1856 to allow his constituents to express their view on his conduct; they reelected him in the August special election to fill the vacancy created by his resignation. He was re-elected to a full term in November 1856, but died in January 1857, five weeks before the new term began in March.[4]

As described by historian Stephen Puleo, "The caning had an enormous impact on the events that followed over the next four years. ... As a result of the caning, the country was pushed, inexorably and unstoppably, to civil war."[5]

  1. ^ a b Hoffer, Williamjames Hull (2010). The Caning of Charles Sumner. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-9469-5.
  2. ^ The relationship between Brooks and Butler is often reported inaccurately. "In reality, Brooks's father Whitfield Brooks, and Andrew Butler were first cousins." Mathis, Robert Neil (October 1978). "Preston Smith Brooks: The Man and His Image". The South Carolina Historical Magazine. 79 (4): 296–310. JSTOR 27567525.
  3. ^ "Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner". ushistory.org. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  4. ^ Foreman, Amanda (2010). A World On Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War. New York: Random House. p. 34.
  5. ^ Puleo, Stephen (March 29, 2015). "The US Senate's darkest moment". Boston Globe Magazine. Boston, MA.