:''This is an article about a U.S. politician. For the African-American film director, see George Tillman, Jr.'' George Dionysius Tillman (August 21, 1826 – February 2, 1902) was a Democratic politician from South Carolina. He was a state representative, state senator, and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

. He was the brother of Governor

Benjamin Ryan Tillman Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. A white ...

, and father of

James H. Tillman James Hammond Tillman (June 27, 1869 – April 1, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician from South Carolina. Born in Edgefield County, he received his education in the Curryton Academy; the Virginia Military Institute; the Emerson Institut ...

, who was

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond overseeing the Office on Aging and the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of th ...

from 1901 to 1903 and in the latter year shot newspaper editor

Narciso Gener Gonzales Narciso Gener Gonzales (August 5, 1858 – January 19, 1903) was an American journalist born in Eddingsville, Edisto Island, South Carolina. He founded ''The State'' newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina with his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales in ...

and was acquitted.Edgar, Walter B. (2006). The South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 962–963. .

Early life

He was born near Curryton, South Carolina, and attended schools in

Penfield, Georgia Penfield, Georgia, United States was established shortly after 1829 in Greene County, Georgia, Greene County, and named in honor of Josiah Penfield (c. 1785 – 1828), a Savannah, Georgia, Savannah merchant and silversmith, who bequeathed $2,500.00 ...

, and in Greenwood, South Carolina. He attended Harvard University but did not graduate. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1848, and commenced practice in Edgefield, South Carolina. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Confederate States Army. He served in the 3rd South Carolina Infantry Regiment in 1862. After the 3rd South Carolina was disbanded, he joined the 2nd South Carolina Artillery, in which he served until the close of the war.

Political career

He served as a state representative from 1854 to 1855 and in 1864. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1865, held under the Reconstruction proclamation of President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

. He then served as a state senator in 1865. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1876 to the

Forty-fifth Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

. Tillman was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-sixth Congress from the Fifth district (1879–1881), and re-elected to the

Forty-seventh Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. ) , image_sk ...

(1881–1883). He served from March 3, 1881, to June 19, 1882, when his election was overturned by the House. Republican Robert Smalls, his African-American opponent in 1880, contested the election, and succeeded Tillman. Tillman was elected to the

Forty-eighth Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883, ...

from the Second district and to the four succeeding Congresses (1883–1893). He served as chairman of the Committee on Patents in the

Fifty-second Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1892. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1895, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election as Governor of South Carolina in 1898. Besides his political and legal activities, he engaged in agricultural pursuits and also worked as a publicist. He died in Clarks Hill, McCormick County, South Carolina, on February 2, 1902, and was interred in the Bethlehem Baptist Church Community Cemetery.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, George Dionysius 1826 births 1902 deaths People from Edgefield County, South Carolina Harvard University alumni Confederate States Army personnel Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 19th-century American politicians Benjamin Tillman