Robert Milner Echols (1798–1847) was an American politician and soldier. Born near Washington, Georgia, March 18, 1798, Echols was raised in Walton County near Walnut Grove. He was a member of the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

from 1824 to 1829, and the Georgia State Senate from 1830 to 1844, including six (non-consecutive) years as that body's president. In a race for the United States House of Representatives, Echols lost to his opponent, Gen. Howell Cobb, by only two votes. He was a major general in the

Georgia Militia The Georgia Militia existed from 1733 to 1879. It was originally planned by General James Oglethorpe prior to the founding of the Province of Georgia, the British colony that would become the U.S. state of Georgia. One reason for the founding of th ...

, 11th Division, in 1833. Echols served as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War, and was fatally injured in a fall from his horse while on dress parade at National Bridge, Mexico, December 3, 1847. Several years after his death, the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

passed an appropriation to have his remains relocated to his home in Walton County, where he was interred with full

military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

. Echols County, Georgia, is named in his honor.

References

External links

A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians pp. 2421-2422
{{DEFAULTSORT:Echols, Robert Milner Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) state senators American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People from Wilkes County, Georgia 1798 births 1847 deaths People from Walton County, Georgia 19th-century American politicians