William Wyatt Bibb (October 2, 1781 – July 10, 1820) was a

United States Senator 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 powe ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, the first governor of the

Alabama Territory The Territory of Alabama (sometimes Alabama Territory) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Alabama Territory was carved from the Mississippi Territory on August 15, 1817 and lasted until December 14, 1819, when it ...

, and the first Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama. Bibb was a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

, and served as governor Alabama until his death on July 10, 1820 from a horse riding accident. He is the first of only three people in U.S. history to be elected a U.S. Senator from one state and the governor of another.

Bibb County, Alabama Bibb County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county is included in the ARC's definition of Appalachia. As of the 24th decennial 2020 census, its population was 22,293. The county seat is Centreville. The ...

, and

Bibb County, Georgia Bibb County is located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 157,346. Bibb County is geographically located in the Central Georgia (Middle Georgia) region, and is the largest county in the Macon metropolitan ar ...

, are named for him.

Early life

William Wyatt Bibb was born on October 2, 1781, in Amelia County,

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 ...

, to Captain William Bibb, an officer in the Continental Army during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

(1775–1783) and a member of the state legislature, 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 presb ...

of the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia, and his wife, Sally (Wyatt) Bibb. Around 1784, Bibb Sr. moved with his family south to

with a large number of Virginians who accompanied General George Mathews, hero of the Battle of Brandywine in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Most of the general's followers were also veterans and with their families took advantage of the new nation's offer of land bounties in lieu of pay for former soldiers. They established tobacco farms on the rich lands around the confluence of the

Broad Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly na ...

and Savannah Rivers in newly developing northeastern Georgia. The Bibbs are recorded as one of the earliest pioneer families in

Elbert County Elbert County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Elbert County, Colorado * Elbert County, Georgia {{Geodis, uscounty ...

. Bibb was probably privately educated before he went to the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...

, and the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine, commonly known as Penn Med, is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of Medicine is the oldest medi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He was awarded a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(M.D.) degree in 1801, returned to Georgia, and began to practice medicine in Petersburg. In 1803, he married Mary Freeman.

Early political career

Bibb was elected to the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

in 1802, at the age of 21, as a member of. He took office in 1803 and served one two-year term. In 1806 he was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the Ninth session of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas Spalding, and was re-elected four times, serving until November 6, 1813. As was then the practice, he was elected at that time by the state legislature to the

US 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 po ...

to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of

William H. Crawford William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as US Secretary of War and US Secretary of the Treasury before he ran for US president in the 1824 ...

, a nationally known presidential candidate. Bibb served until November 9, 1816. As a Senator in 1816, Bibb was involved in opposing the first attempt to abolish the Electoral College and have the President elected by Popular Vote, speaking very forthrightly about the advantages which slave-holding states derived from the Electoral College. He stated on the Senate floor that with Popular Vote, these states “would lose the privilege the Constitution now allows them, of votes upon three-fifths of their population other than freemen. It would be deeply injurious to them.”

Governor of Alabama

US President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

(1758–1831, served 1817–1825), appointed Bibb as the first governor of the newly formed

(from the larger previous Mississippi Territory) in 1817. Alabama became the 22nd state on December 14, 1819. Bibb's primary duties were establishing the state government. Huntsville was designated to be the site of the constitutional convention. Bibb was elected governor by defeating

Marmaduke Williams Marmaduke Williams (April 6, 1774 – October 29, 1850) was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina from 1803 to 1809. Born in Caswell County, North Carolina, Williams studied law and was admitted to the North Carolina bar. ...

and receiving 8,342 votes to Williams's 7,140 votes. The capital was chosen to be the newly created town of Cahawba in 1820 on the Alabama frontier but moved to

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

in 1826 and finally to the central city of Montgomery in 1846. During Bibb's tenure the Alabama state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

was established, and the beginnings of the state judicial system, along with the organization of and appointments to the

Supreme Court of Alabama The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is hous ...

were accomplished. Henry Hitchcock was elected the first Attorney General of Alabama and initially held the position of

Secretary of State of Alabama The secretary of state of Alabama is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Alabama. The office actually predates the statehood of Alabama, dating back to the Alabama Territory. From 1819 to 1901, the secretary of state served ...

as well. However, shortly afterward Thomas A. Rodgers was elected as the second

. The first session of the

Alabama state legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...

was held from October 25, 1819, to December 17, 1819. William R. King and John W. Walker were chosen as the state's first US Senators. To date, Bibb is one of only three individuals to have served as governor of a state and as a US senator from a different state. The others are Sam Houston, who (among his other political offices) served as the sixth governor of Tennessee and a US senator from Texas (a state, like Alabama, which also had not existed when he held his governorship), and Mitt Romney, who served as the seventieth

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

and is currently a US senator from Utah.

Death

At the age of 38 Bibb was thrown from his horse during a violent thunderstorm, and died from internal injuries on July 10, 1820. His brother,

Thomas Bibb Thomas Bibb (May 8, 1783 – September 20, 1839) was the second governor of the US state of Alabama and served from 1820 to 1821. He was the president of the Alabama Senate when his brother, Governor William Wyatt Bibb, died in office on July 1 ...

, was president of the State Senate and filled out his term as governor. William Bibb is buried in

Coosada, Alabama Coosada is a town in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,217. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ''Coosawda'' was home to a Creek (Coushatta tribe) village called K ...

. Because he was the state's first governor, his likeness appears on the Alabama Centennial half dollar minted in 1921.

References

External links