"B" is for Barnwell, Robert Woodward [1801-1882]. Educator, congressman, U.S. Senator. Barnwell, valedictorian of the Harvard class of 1821, was admitted to the bar in 1823 and practiced law in Beaufort. He was a prominent nullifier and a delegate to the Nullification Convention. In 1835 he assumed the presidency of the South Carolina College. During his tenure, enrollment increased--as did legislative appropriations for the library and new construction. After stepping down in 1841, he was elected a trustee of the college. During the 1850s he was a leading cooperationist, but with Lincoln's election embraced secession. He declined to serve as the Confederacy's Secretary of State, but did represent South Carolina in the Confederate Senate for the duration of its existence. Robert Woodward Barnwell was one of the few consistent supporters of the Davis administration.
"B" is for Barnwell, Robert Woodward
