Robert Barnwell Gibbes (1761-1814) was a revolutionary officer and legislator. As an adolescent, he joined his brother John's militia unit, was severely wounded in 1777, served as a Lieutenant at the siege of Charleston in 1780, and later was a militia captain during the War of 1812. First elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1787, he represented Beaufort at the state constitutional convention where he voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and later served as a Federalist member of the House of Representatives. He served continuously in the South Carolina House from 1794-1802, when he was elected to the state Senate. President of both the House and the Senate, he was know for his oratorical skills. Engraving by Albert Rosenthal.
Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
