William Wyatt Bibb

William Wyatt Bibb was born on October 2, 1781, in Amelia County, Virginia to Captain William Bibb, an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and a member of the state legislature, the General Assembly of the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia, and his wife Sally (Wyatt) Bibb.[1]

Around 1784, Bibb senior moved with his family south to Georgia with a large number of Virginians who accompanied General George Mathews, hero of the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania. Most of the general's followers were also veterans, who with their families took advantage of the new nation's offer of land bounties in lieu of pay for former soldiers. They established tobacco farms on the rich lands around the confluence of the Broad and Savannah Rivers in newly developing northeastern Georgia. The Bibbs are recorded as one of the earliest pioneer families in Elbert County.[1]

Bibb was probably privately educated before college. After having attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1801. He returned to Georgia and began practicing medicine in Petersburg.[2] In 1803, he married Mary Freeman.

Bibbo was first elected to office at age 21, as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Elected in 1802, he took office in 1803 and served one two-year term until 1805.[3] He was elected in 18as a Democratic-Republican to the Ninth United States Congress to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas Spalding, and was reelected four times, serving until November 6, 1813.[4]

He was elected by the state legislature (as was the practice then) to the United States Senate to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of William H. Crawford, a nationally known presidential candidate. Bibb served until November 9, 1816.[5]

Fifth President James Monroe (1758–1831, served 1817–1825), appointed Bibb as the first governor of the newly formed Alabama Territory (out of the larger previous Mississippi Territory) in 1817. Alabama became the 22nd state on December 14, 1819. Bibb was elected governor, defeating Marmaduke Williams. Bibb received 8,342 votes, while Williams received 7,140 votes.[6]

Bibb's primary duties were establishing the state government.[7] Huntsville was designated to be the site of the constitutional convention. The capital was chosen to be the newly created town of Cahawba in 1820 on the Alabama frontier, it then moved to Tuscaloosa in 1826, and finally to the central city of Montgomery in 1846, where a State Capitol building was later begun (later the site of the historic inauguration in 1861 of Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as the first provisional and only President of the Confederate States of America after the first seven of thirteen southern states seceded, with Montgomery as the temporary Southern National Capital. Later several famous Civil Rights Movement marches and protests were held here in the 1950s and 60's).

During Bibb's tenure, the Alabama state militia (now Georgia National Guard) and the beginnings of the state judicial system with the organization and appointments to the Supreme Court of Alabama were accomplished.

Henry Hitchcock was elected the first Attorney General of Alabama and initially held the position of Secretary of State of Alabama as well. However, shortly afterward Thomas A. Rodgers was elected as the second Secretary of State of Alabama. The first session of the state legislature was held from October 25, 1819, to December 17, 1819. William R. King and John W. Walker were chosen as the first U.S. Senators.

To date, Bibb is one of only three individuals to have served as governor of a state and as a U.S. senator from a different state.[8] The others are Sam Houston, who (among his other political offices) served as the sixth governor of Tennessee and a U.S. senator from Texas, and Mitt Romney, who served as the seventieth governor of Massachusetts and is currently a U.S. senator from Utah.[8]

In 1820, Bibb was thrown from his horse during a violent thunderstorm.[9] He died from internal injuries on July 10, 1820, at age 38. His brother, Thomas Bibb, was president of the state Senate at the time and completed the rest of his term as governor. William Bibb is buried in Coosada, Alabama. Because he was the state's first governor, his likeness appears on the Alabama Centennial half dollar, which was minted in 1921.

• Thomas Bibb

• William Wyatt Bibb's An inquiry into the modus operandi of medicines upon the human body (Philadelphia, 1801).
• Alabama Department of Archives and History

• United States Congress. "William Wyatt Bibb (id: B000434)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Political Graveyard
• Image of "Voucher for the salary to be paid to Governor William Wyatt Bibb"
• Library of Congress - Letter from "William Wyatt Bibb to Andrew Jackson, October 1, 1818"