USA > South Carolina > Men of mark in South Carolina; ideals of American life: a collection of biographies of leading men of the state, Volume I > Part 2
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Judge Aldrich was elected a member of the house of repre- sentatives for his county, Aiken, for ten years, from December, 1878, to December, 1884, when he declined reelection; but he was again elected in December, 1886, and served to December, 1889. He was active in committee work and chairman of several important committees.
In December, 1889, Judge Aldrich was elected judge of the second judicial district of South Carolina, then composed of the counties of Aiken, Barnwell, Hampton, Beaufort and Colleton; to these Bamberg was afterward added. In nearly fifteen years he never missed a term of court. To dispose of work he fre- quently heard cases at night. Though not oldest in age, he is the judge now longest in commission, and during his long service
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JAMES ALDRICH
has presided at many of the most important and exciting cases tried in the state, and his decisions are quoted as authority throughout the United States.
Judge Aldrich, as circuit judge, is ex officio a member of the court en banc, the court of highest and last resort in the state of South Carolina. (See article V, section 12, constitution of 1895.) It is convened by the chief justice whenever two or more justices of the supreme court desire it, to consider questions of constitutional law, or any other important cause. All of the justices of the supreme court and circuit judges sit together, except the circuit judge from whom the appeal is pending, and the decision of the majority of the justices and judges sitting is final and conclusive.
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Judge Aldrich has always taken an active part in education. He assisted in organizing the Aiken institute, and was its first president, and has also been an active member of the South Carolina Historical society. He is a past master of the Aiken Masonic lodge, a member of the Episcopal church, and has fre- quently represented his church in the convention of the diocese.
In 1903 Judge Aldrich published "A Short Sketch of the Lives of James Thomas Aldrich and His Wife, Mrs. Isabel Coroneous Aldrich." Several biographies of Judge Aldrich have been published; one on page 3 of "Men of the Times," South Carolina, by J. C. Garlington, in 1902, and another on page 43, volume 3, of "The National Cyclopedia of American Biography," by James T. White & Company, of New York, in 1893.
Judge Aldrich was married December 15, 1874, to Miss Fannie Lebby. Three children have been born to them, one of whom, Mrs. Huger T. Hall, is now (1907) living.
Judge Aldrich's address is Aiken, South Carolina.
Vol. I-S. C .- 2
THOMAS MALLALIEU BAILEY
B AILEY, THOMAS MALLALIEU, D. D., was born at Grace Hill, county Antrim, Ireland, December 27, 1829. His parents were Joseph and Margaret (Warden) Bailey, both of Scotch-Irish descent. They had eleven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest.
Until his fifteenth year Thomas Bailey attended the village academy. A natural taste for outdoor life made him desire to become a farmer, which was the occupation of his father, but the latter preferred for him the occupation of a merchant, and apprenticed him to a firm in Ballymena, four miles from his home. Here he worked for four years, walking home every Saturday night. By close and systematic attention to his work he won the confidence and esteem of his employers, and formed those careful business habits which have characterized him through life. He was next employed by Baker Brothers, a firm of well-known Quaker merchants in Dublin. They promoted him rapidly and soon made him superintendent of the store, a position which he held for three years. During this time he studied at night, preparing himself to enter Trinity college. He changed his mind, however, and went to London, where he pursued a course of study in the British and Foreign Society school preparatory to going abroad as a missionary. He was at this time a Moravian in religious faith. After finishing the prescribed course he was sent out by the society as a missionary to the island of St. Thomas, in the Danish West Indies. He entered upon what he expected to be his life work, but an attack of fever undermined his health and his physician ordered him to Santa Cruz, where he energetically and successfully ministered to churches and gathered the young into Bible schools. While a missionary in Santa Cruz he became acquainted with Baron Joseph von Bretton and his wife, and her sister, Miss Alice Kierulff. For the latter he formed a strong attachment and they were married in the home of the baron. She was his faithful and efficient helpmeet until her death in 1886.
About the time of his marriage his religious views under- went a change. He resigned his position as missionary and with
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THOMAS MALLALIEU BAILEY
his wife came to the United States and settled in what was then Edgefield district, South Carolina. Here. he joined the Gilgal Baptist church, and was baptized by the Rev. E. L. Whatley. He was soon called to the pastorate of Baptist churches in that part of the state and preached with great acceptance. He remained in Edgefield two years and moved to Alabama and preached to churches in Dallas and Lowndes counties. In 1867 he moved to Iowa, and for a short time was pastor at Newton, but the climate proving too severe for the health of Mrs. Bailey, he returned to Alabama and resumed the work he had so recently laid down.
In 1874 Dr. Bailey was elected secretary of the mission work of the Alabama Baptist state convention, and became a resident of Marion, in that state. He remained in this position until January, 1886. During this period he visited the churches, dis- trict associations, preached, and made addresses on missions and education, in all parts of the state, and was instrumental in greatly building up the churches and increasing their interest in missions and in other forms of benevolence. Having been a foreign missionary, he was well equipped for this work. The eleven years he spent in this position were full of arduous toil and great self-sacrifice; but his iron constitution, clear intellect, and strong sense of humor, together with a genial disposition, enabled him to endure the hardships without serious injury.
In December, 1885, he was elected corresponding secretary of state missions for the Baptists of South Carolina. He entered upon his work the first of January, 1886, and has been unani- mously reelected every year since. His life is as full of work as ever, as he is constantly visiting churches and public gather- ings all over the state. The degree of D. D. was conferred upon him by Howard college, Alabama.
Dr. Bailey possesses a fine intellect, which has been cultivated by diligent study and wide reading. He is a preacher of great ability and a platform speaker of unusual power. He is a man of wisdom and good sense, one who understands human nature, and who is broad-minded and sympathetic. He readily compre- hends the situation, is quick to decide, and when he reaches a conclusion he acts without hesitation. Always hopeful, cheerful, and encouraging, he is a safe counsellor and his advice is sought by churches and pastors throughout the state. During his twenty
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THOMAS MALLALIEU BAILEY
years of service in South Carolina the work has grown rapidly and the denomination he represents now has the largest member- ship of any in the state and is in all respects an efficient and honored body of Christians. He is a strong advocate of the cause of education, and of all judicious forms of benevolent and charitable work. He is well informed on all topics of current interest. Although never active in political affairs, he is in sympathy with the Democratic party. His favorite form of relaxation is working in his yard and garden.
Of the seven children of Dr. Bailey by his first wife six are living in 1907. Before her marriage the present Mrs. Bailey was Sue McMillan, of Barnwell county, South Carolina. She studied under Dr. W. B. Johnson, one of the leading educators in the state, and is a woman of superior graces and fine intel- lectual attainments.
The address of Dr. Bailey is Number 519 Hampton avenue, Greenville, South Carolina.
JOSEPH WALKER BARNWELL
B ARNWELL, JOSEPH WALKER, lawyer and legislator, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, October 31, 1846. His parents were William Hazzard and Catharine Osborn Barnwell. His father practiced law for a time and then became a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church. For twenty-one years he was rector of St. Peter's church in Charles- ton. He was a man of fine talents, high character, industrious, courageous, an eloquent preacher, and a public-spirited citizen. His wife (who was born a Barnwell) was a woman of excellent attainments and gentle and kindly disposition, whose influence upon her son was strong, helpful, and enduring. The earliest ancestor of the family to locate in this country was Colonel John Barnwell, who came from Dublin, Ireland, and settled in Charles- town (since 1783 spelled Charleston) in 1701. He commanded the expedition against the Tuscaroras in 1711, was colonel in the Yemassee war of 1715, and in 1719 was sent to England by the colony to negotiate its transfer to the crown. His son, Colonel Nathaniel Barnwell, was aide to General Oglethorpe in the expe- dition against St. Augustine in 1740. Robert Gibbes Barnwell, son of Colonel Nathaniel Barnwell, was speaker of the house of representatives and president of the senate of South Carolina. He was a delegate to the continental congress and a congressman in 1791, and a valiant soldier in the Revolution, in which war he received no less than seventeen wounds.
In childhood and youth Joseph W. Barnwell was healthy and strong. He was fond of books and of games of all kinds that were common in his locality. Until he was six years of age his home was in Charleston. During the next nine years he lived in Beaufort from May to November and passed the remainder of the year on his father's plantation on Broad river, Port Royal island, ten miles from Beaufort. He studied at Beaufort college, and the schools of B. R. Stuart and A. Sachtleben, both at Columbia, at the Citadel during the war, and later at the Uni- versity of South Carolina. He also studied for a time at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Although he acquired a broad education, he never took a professional course. In order
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JOSEPH WALKER BARNWELL
to take these courses of study he was given by friends $2,500, but paid back the entire sum after he commenced professional work. From January 1, 1864, to December 7 of the same year he was at the South Carolina Military academy, and on the day last named he received a severe wound in an engagement near Tulafinni, South Carolina. From early boyhood he had felt that he was destined for the bar. He was admitted to practice in 1869, and in January, 1871, he commenced active work in his profession. His success was assured at the start. And he not only made his way as a lawyer, but his talents and energy brought him political honors. In November, 1874, he was elected a member of the state house of representatives from the Charles- ton district. In this capacity he served for two years, and with Honorable George A. Trenholm sustained the policy of Governor Chamberlain in his attempt to secure reform in the state govern- ment. At the close of the term he declined reelection. In 1890 he was a candidate for attorney general on the Haskell ticket, in which political contest Judge Alexander Cheves Haskell and Benjamin R. Tillman were opposing candidates for governor. In 1894 he was elected to the state senate, in which he served two years, when, owing to a change in the district, the office was abolished. In 1900 he again became a member of the state senate for a term of four years, at the expiration of which time he declined to be a candidate for reelection. For several years he served with ability and fidelity as chairman of the Democratic party in Charleston county. He has also been prominent in the social and literary life of Charleston. He has been president of the Charleston club and of the South Carolina Historical society, vice-president of the Charleston literary society and of the Carolina Art association, and chairman of the managers of the St. Cecilia society. In all of these positions he has won high commendation. Through these societies, and in various other ways, he has done much to maintain and still further develop appreciation of art and literature and the higher pleasures and refinements of life in the cultured city in which he lives. Among his plans for the future is the bringing of McCrady's "History of South Carolina" down to date-a work which it is much to be hoped he will carry out. His reading has been wide and varied, including, as he says, "all kinds from the Bible down." He finds his relaxation in a month's holiday each year at Flat
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JOSEPH WALKER BARNWELL
Rock, North Carolina, and in reading everything he can find time to read. In politics he has always been a Democrat. His religious affiliation is with the Protestant Episcopal church, in which he is deeply interested.
On January 23, 1883, Mr. Barnwell was married to Miss Harriott Kinloch Cheves, daughter of Dr. Charles M. Cheves and Isabella Middleton. Of their five children three are living in 1907.
His postoffice address is Number 48 South Battery, Charleston, South Carolina.
WILLIAM H. BRAWLEY
B RAWLEY, WILLIAM H., LL. D., judge United States court for the district of South Carolina, was born in Chester, South Carolina, May 13, 1841. After taking the usual preparatory course he entered the South Carolina college, from which institution he was graduated in 1860. In April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the sixth regiment South Caro- lina volunteers. He was with this command at the time of the attack upon Fort Sumter and soon afterward went with it to Virginia. He participated in all the battles in which his regi- ment was engaged until his military career was cut short at the battle of Seven Pines, where, late in the afternoon of May 31, 1862, he received a wound which necessitated the amputation of his left arm. This compelled him to remain for three months in the hospital at Richmond. He then returned home, and, his father having died meanwhile, took charge of the plantation, until April, 1864, when, partly to recover his health, which had been much impaired, and partly for the completion of his education, he ran the blockade and went to Europe, where he remained for study and travel until November, 1865, when he sailed for home.
Upon his return he studied law, and in 1866 he was admitted to practice. He was elected solicitor of the sixth circuit in 1868, was reelected in 1872, and in 1874 resigned that office upon his removal to Charleston, where he became associated in the practice of law with the Honorable W. D. Porter, and subsequently, upon Mr. Porter's retirement from the bar, became associated with Joseph W. Barnwell, Esquire. He was elected to the legislature from Charleston in 1882, and by successive reëlections remained in the legislature until his election to congress in 1890, having been chairman of the judiciary committee of the house during the last years of his service there. During such service his skill as a man of affairs, and his mastery of public problems and ability to dispel the illusions of the hour and present questions in their true light, soon secured to him respectful attention and influence. His delicate political tact, and astute judgment of human nature, with his great force in debate, made him at once
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WILLIAM H. BRAWLEY
a powerful ally and a formidable adversary. His speech in opposition to granting the railroad commission full power to fix rates, without giving any right of appeal, has been conceded to be one of the ablest arguments ever made in the South Carolina legislature. His appeal to the house, in 1886, in behalf of the sufferers from the great Charleston earthquake of that year was one of those impassioned bursts of oratory heard only from gifted speakers on rare occasions. His influence in the legislature, and position as chairman of the judiciary committee, made him the acknowledged leader in the house of representatives at the time of his retirement in 1890, when he was elected to the fifty-first congress.
Possessing scholarly attainments, a complete master of the English language, with accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the public issues of that day, he entered congress fully equipped for the work before him. In March, 1892, the people of the United States became acquainted with his ability and power through his speech in the debate on the silver question in oppo- sition to the Bland bill for free coinage at the ratio of sixteen to one. This speech elicited most favorable and extended com- ment from prominent men in public life, and the leading news- papers of the country, and was regarded as one of the most valuable utterances on that question, evincing careful study and preparation and thorough knowledge of the subject. The closing paragraph of that speech was referred to by many of the leading newspapers as a model of style as well as sentiment, and the late Speaker Reed pronounced it "worthy of the finest old Stoic who ever talked philosophy."
His speech on the bill to repeal the Sherman Act, in September, 1893, elicited like favorable comments, and again demonstrated his fitness for leadership in public affairs, so that it was with great regret that many of his constituents learned of his retirement from congress in February, 1894, to accept the appointment from President Cleveland as United States judge for South Carolina, an appointment which was offered without any intimation of his desire for that office.
His career as a judge has been marked by the same ability, steadfastness of purpose, and adherence to principle which had characterized his previous public life. His pure style and vigorous language have added much to the value of his decisions,
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WILLIAM H. BRAWLEY
which have covered a wide field, embracing, among others, ques- tions of admiralty, patent law, and prize law.
His occasional addresses have exhibited a wide range of thought and scholarship, and are marked by great felicity of diction. Among the latest of such addresses is one delivered at Chester on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone of a monument to the Confederate dead of that county, May 10, 1905. It is doubtful that any address of recent years on the causes of the War between the States has awakened more public interest in all parts of the country. "Harper's Weekly" has referred to it in a recent editorial as "an oration admirable in thought, word and spirit, which we commend to the attention of such readers as can by any means lay hands upon it. It is a discourse of so much charm, and put together with so fine a sense of harmony, that it could not be properly presented in fragments, as extracts could not do it justice." One of the most scholarly men of the South has written of it: "It has conspicuous merit as history, rhetoric, sentiment. Its language is perfect, and its spirit lofty ; proud, but not arrogant; conciliatory, but not deprecatory; dig- nified, catholic, patriotic."
The degree of LL. D. was conferred on him by the South Carolina college at its centennial celebration in 1905.
The address of Judge Brawley is Charleston, South Carolina.
HENRY BRIGGS
B RIGGS, HENRY, banker, was born at Pickensville, South Carolina, October 12, 1851. He is the son of Alexander Sloan Briggs and Anna La Bruce Robinson. His parents were members of large and influential families, thrifty, substan- tial, honorable country people, worthy representatives of a large class for which upper South Carolina is noted. His mother still (1907) lives in Greenville. His father at one time was secretary and treasurer of the Spartanburg and Union railroad.
Henry Briggs grew up in sight of the Blue Ridge mountains, and early developed a vigorous constitution, and through life he has been strong and healthy. He attended the schools in the towns of Greenville and Spartanburg. In early life he entered a store as a salesman, and gradually worked himself into more responsible positions. He commenced his business career in Greenville in 1870, when he was employed as a clerk in the general merchandise store of Williams & Whitmire, later with Mr. Jack Whitmire. He left this position to become bookkeeper and head clerk for Mills & McBrayer, general merchandise. In 1876 he formed a copartnership with Frank Hammond, under the firm name of Briggs & Hammond. About this time he was elected an alderman of the city and did excellent work as chairman of the street committee. In 1884 he formed a copart- nership with his brother, George Briggs, and Captain O. P. Mills, and bought out and consolidated the business of Briggs & Ham- mond and Mills & McBrayer. He retired from the consolidated business in 1890 and moved to Florence, Alabama, where he lived one year, engaged in the house contracting business. He returned to Greenville and established the American bank, one of the best banks in upper South Carolina, of which he has been president ever since. He is also connected as director with many business enterprises in Greenville and other places.
Mr. Briggs came to Greenville a poor boy, but by diligence, industry, economy, exemplary habits, and courteous manners he has built himself up in the confidence and esteem of the people, and has become one of the most reliable and substantial business men of Greenville. Except the position of alderman, he has
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HENRY BRIGGS
never held public office. Twice he was a candidate for mayor, and lacked only a few votes of being elected. He is a Democrat, but, being a quiet, conservative man, he has never taken a con- spicuous part in party politics. He is a Mason and a Woodman of the World, and is affiliated with the Baptist church. He owns considerable real estate in and around Greenville, and is consid- ered an authority in all matters of business investments. Having struggled himself in early life, he knows how to encourage and help young men who are trying to build themselves up by industrious habits and correct business principles.
Mr. Briggs married Emala Louisa McBee, a member of one of the oldest and most influential families of Greenville. They were married April 18, 1883, and have one son now (1907) living.
The address of Mr. Briggs is Greenville, South Carolina.
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ABNER ALONZO BRISTOW
B RISTOW, ABNER ALONZO, merchant and board of trade president, was born in Bennettsville, Marlboro county, South Carolina, April 22, 1854. His parents were Abner Nash and Ann Elizabeth Bristow. His father was a merchant and for some time held the office of judge of probate for Marlboro county. He was noted for earnest purpose and devotion to his home and friends. In religion he was a Baptist, and for many years he served the local church of that denomi- nation, in which he held the office of deacon, with great fidelity. The first ancestors of the Bristow family came from England and Wales, and, like their descendants, they were prominent in the intellectual and public life of South Carolina.
In his boyhood and youth Abner Alonzo Bristow lived in the village in which he was born. He was slender but active, and, while he was fond of reading, he was also interested in outdoor sports, especially hunting and fishing. Fortunately for himself, as it proved in later years, he had regular tasks to perform. When quite young he was required to work a large garden, and by degrees he learned all the varied kinds of farm work. In this way he was taught habits of industry and early rising, and was led to see that constant, unremitting labor was the only road to success. This training also taught him how to cope successfully with the great difficulties which were caused by the changed conditions brought about by the War between the States. He attended the village school until he was fifteen years of age. The death of his father at this time compelled him to give up all hope of obtaining a public education.
The section in which he lived had been devastated by the war and he felt that he must find employment that would enable him to support himself and aid his mother and sisters, who were then largely dependent upon him. His first position was that of clerk in a country store in Marlboro county, where he commenced work in September, 1869. His earnestness and fidelity secured his advancement and led to his connection with some of the leading merchants of the state. In 1877 he went on the road as a representative of a firm of manufacturing clothiers, and he
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ABNER ALONZO BRISTOW
has continued until the present time, and with great success, a traveling salesman. On February 1, 1892, he entered the retail clothing business in Greenville, South Carolina, as a member of the firm of Smith & Bristow, to which he gives the time that is not required on the road, and which, largely through his efforts, has been a marked success. During the past twenty-eight years he has represented, in the Carolinas, three manufacturers. Of these, two went out of business, and for the past fifteen years he has traveled for Hamburger Brothers & Company, of Baltimore, Maryland.
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