Martin Witherspoon Gary
Martin Witherspoon Gary | |
|---|---|
| South Carolina Senate | |
| In office 1876–1881 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Cain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 25, 1831 |
| Died | April 9, 1881 (aged 50) Cokesbury, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Nickname(s) | "Bald Eagle" "The Bald Eagle of Edgefield" |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | |
Martin Witherspoon Gary (March 25, 1831 – April 9, 1881) was a Confederate attorney, soldier, and politician from South Carolina. He attained the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In 1876 he played a major leadership role in the Democratic Party's political campaign to elect Wade Hampton III as governor, planning a detailed campaign to disrupt the Republican Party and black voters by violence and intimidation.
Gary was first elected to office as a state representative in 1860. He was elected to the South Carolina State Senate in 1876 from Edgefield, South Carolina, serving two terms. He fell out with Hampton after failing to get appointments to the U.S. Senate in 1877 and 1879, and left politics in 1881 after finishing his second term. He returned to his home in Cokesbury and died in April of that year.