Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Benjamin Ryan Tillman

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011

1. Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument
Southeast Corner

Inscription.
[North]: Born August 11, 1847 - Died July 3, 1918
Married Sallie Starke January 8, 1868
Patriot • Statesman
Governor of South Carolina 1890-1894
United States Senate 1895-1918
In the World War, Chairman Senate
Committee on Naval Affairs
A Life of Service and Achievement
[West]: In the Home Loving; Loyal to the State;
Steadfast, True for the Nation.
The country belongs to us and and we all belong
to it. The men of the North, South, East and
West carved it out of the wilderness and made
it great. Let us share it with each other
then and conserve it, giving it the best that
is in us of brain and brawn and heart.
[South]: Loving them, he was the friend
and leader of the common people.
He taught them their political
power and made possible for
the education of their sons
and daughters. Clemson
Agricultural College, Winthrop
Normal and Industrial College.

Erected 1940 by South Carolina Legislature, the Democratic Party, and Private Citizens of South Carolina.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is January 8, 1868.

Location.

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34° 0.052′ N, 81° 2.024′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker is on Gervais Street near Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The State House of South Carolina (a few steps from this marker); The East-West Streets In The City Of Columbia - Gervais Street (within shouting distance of this marker); South Carolina Confederate Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); George Washington (Statue) (within shouting distance of this marker); The North-South Streets in The City Of Columbia / Richardson Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway (within shouting distance of this marker); Edwards v. S.C. (within shouting distance of this marker); Palmetto Regiment (within shouting distance of this marker); The Architecture of Strength (within shouting distance of this marker); Spanish-American War Veterans Monument (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

More about this marker. Statue by Frederick C. Hibbard.

Also see . . .
1. Benjamin Tillman. Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was

Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument<br>North Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011

2. Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument
North Plaque

an American politician who served as the 84th Governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator, from 1895 until his death in office. (Submitted on December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

2. Benjamin Ryan Tillman. 54th Governor of the State of South Carolina 1890 to 1894. (Submitted on December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

3. “Their Own Hotheadedness” Speech. In this March 23, 1900, speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Benjamin R. “Pitchfork Ben” Tillman of South Carolina defended the actions of his white constituents who had murdered several black citizens of his home state. (Submitted on December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

Additional commentary.
1. Benjamin Ryan Tillman (1847-1918)
Benjamin Ryan Tillman, (brother of George Dionysius Tillman), a Senator from South Carolina; born near Trenton, Edgefield County, S.C., August 11, 1847; pursued an academic course; left school in 1864 to join the Confederate Army, but was stricken with a severe illness; engaged in agricultural pursuits; Governor of South Carolina 1890-1894; established Clemson College and Winthrop College while Governor; member of the State

Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument<br>West Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011

3. Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument
West Plaque

constitutional convention in 1895; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1894; reelected in 1901, 1907 and 1913 and served from March 4, 1895, until his death; censured by the Senate in 1902 after assaulting another Senator on the Senate floor; chairman, Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Fifty-seventh through Fifty-ninth Congresses), Committee on Five Civilized Tribes of Indians (Sixty-first and Sixty-second Congresses), Committee on Naval Affairs (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses); Tillman was known as “Pitchfork Ben” during his years in the Senate; died in Washington, D.C., July 3, 1918; interment in Ebenezer Cemetery, Trenton, S.C. (Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.)

— Submitted December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument<br>South Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011

4. Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument
South Plaque

Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011

5. Benjamin Ryan Tillman Monument

Benjamin Ryan Tillman<br>August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, circa 1905

6. Benjamin Ryan Tillman
August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918

Tillman Hall (1893)<br>Clemson University image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 29, 2009

7. Tillman Hall (1893)
Clemson University

In 1946, on the fiftieth anniversary of Clemson's graduating class, the Main Building was renamed Tillman Hall in memory of Benjamin Ryan Tillman, former governor and United States Senator.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,272 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 7. submitted on July 7, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.