Robert Enoch Withers (September 18, 1821September 21, 1907) was an American physician, military officer, newspaperman, politician diplomat, and Freemason. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and represented

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and served as U.S. Consul in Hong Kong.

Biography

Withers was born near Lynchburg, Virginia. He attended private schools and then graduated from the medical department of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

in 1841. He commenced practice in Campbell County. In 1858, Withers moved to

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

. While studying at university, Withers was inducted into the freemasons, an organization that he would remain with for life, specifically as a leader in the Knights Templar. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he entered the Confederate Army in early 1861 as the major of the 18th Virginia Infantry. He was subsequently promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

, which he commanded until retired because of numerous disabling wounds. He was then appointed to command the Confederate military post at Danville, an administrative position he held until the close of the war. Following the Civil War, Withers moved back to Lynchburg in 1866 and established the ''Lynchburg News'', a daily paper devoted to the interests of the Conservative Party. He was nominated for

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

by that party, but withdrew from the race. He was a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1872. He was elected the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 1873. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1875, to March 4, 1881. He served as the chairman of the Committee on Pensions in the 46th Congress. Withers was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1881, losing to former Civil War general

William Mahone William Mahone (December 1, 1826October 8, 1895) was an American civil engineer, railroad executive, Confederate States Army general, and Virginia politician. As a young man, Mahone was prominent in the building of Virginia's roads and railroa ...

of the

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

. He was appointed by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

as the United States consul at British Hong Kong, from 1885–89, when he resigned. He returned to the United States and retired to

Wytheville, Virginia Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in southwestern Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville's populat ...

. During his retirement, he comprised his personal autobiography, ''Memoirs of an Octogenarian''. He was a distant relative of figures such as

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and Robert E. Lee, as well as a direct descendant of

Nicolas Martiau Nicolas Martiau (; 1591–1657) was a Frenchman who immigrated to the English colony of Virginia in the 17th century. He was born on the western island of Île de Ré. The garden behind the Ernest Cognacq Museum in Saint Martin de Ré hold ...

, founder of

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

. Withers died at the "Ingleside"

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

in Wytheville on September 21, 1907. He was buried in the East End Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-10-18 {{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Robert E. 1821 births 1907 deaths People from Campbell County, Virginia American people of English descent Democratic Party United States senators from Virginia Virginia Democrats Consul General of the United States in Hong Kong and Macau 19th-century American diplomats Lieutenant Governors of Virginia American Freemasons Confederate States Army officers People of Virginia in the American Civil War 19th-century American politicians Southern Historical Society