Francis S. Bartow - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Bartow was born near Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia, to Dr. Theodosius Bartow and Frances Lloyd (Stebbins) Bartow. He studied law at the Franklin College (now known as the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia) in Athens where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society. One of his mentors was John M. Berrien, a U.S. senator and former Attorney General in Andrew Jackson's administration. Bartow graduated with highest honors in 1835 at the age of 19. Later, he read law at Messrs. Berrien & Law, a Savannah law office. Finishing his studies, he took additional classes at Yale Law School in Connecticut. Bartow returned to Savannah in 1837, was hired by the Bryan Superior Court and was admitted to the local bar. He then joined Law, Bartow and Lovell, a well-known legal firm, and became regarded for his skills in handling difficult criminal cases.

In 1840, the 24-year-old Bartow campaigned for William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate for President. In 1841, he began his own political career by serving the first of two consecutive terms in the Georgia House of Representatives, followed by one term in the Georgia Senate. In 1844, Bartow married Louisa Greene Berrien, the daughter of one of his previous professional tutors, Sen. John Berrien. In 1856, Bartow was a candidate for the U.S. Congress, but was defeated. The following year, he was elected as captain of Savannah's 21st Oglethorpe Light Infantry, a reserve guard company that had been formed in 1856. He served as an instructor to the volunteers, many of which were young scions of established families in local society.

As the national controversy over slavery intensified, Bartow became concerned for Georgia's destiny if war became a reality. In 1860, after Abraham Lincoln's election, he spurned the Union to advocate the right of secession.