Colonel George David Tillman Graham

George T. Graham was the youngest in a family of eight children of Middleton and Elizabeth Culbreath Graham. He was born in the Saluda area of Edgefield, South Carolina. He resided in Edgefield County until 1880, having prepared himself for the legal profession under his illustrous cousins, Orlando and John C. Sheppard (former South Carolina governor), both of Edgefield, South Carolina; when he moved to Lexington, South Carolina, where he began in the practice of law.

"Mr. Graham was at one time senior member of the firm of Graham & Nelson and subsequently of the firm of Graham & Sturkie, which latter also maintained a branch office in Columbia for two years. Logical in his reasoning and sound in his deductions, Mr. Graham prepared his cases with great thoroughness and skill and presented them so clearly and forcefully that he soon commanded attention and became widely and favorably known. His pleas were always characterized by terse logic and lucid presentation and his nearly instantaneous success stands as best evidence of the capabilities he displayed. Specializing along line of criminal law, he soon became recognized as one of the most able men in that department and in all he tried over one hundred capital cases, most of them with notable success. In the cases with which he was connected, he exhibited the possession of every faculty of which a lawyer may be proud.... He was prominently connected with the case of Robert W. McDaniel, a famous case which was reported upon in the South Carolina law reports. McDaniel was convicted to imprisonment for life at the time when Mr. Graham took charge of the case, and this bit of legal history is considered perhaps the most famous murder case in the history of the state of South Carolina. Colonel Graham also defended Samuel H Tillman for the murder of N. G. Gonzales, a prominent editor, a case which attracted nation-wide attention." (Taken from FLORIDA, 1513-1913, PAST AND FUTURE,  by George M. Chapin.)

Colonel Graham was the lawyer for Willie Leaphart, a Negro who lived in Lexington and who was charged with a crime against a young white woman. This case caused quite an uproar in Lexington and the surrounding areas in South Carolina, and ended up in the lynching of Mr. Leaphart by prominent Lexington citizens. Mr. Leaphart had given a respite by Governor Richardson because of Colonel Graham's work in behalf of him, and was being held the Lexington County Jail when he was removed by force. Colonel Graham last legal work in Lexington was done with the practice, Timmerman and Graham. His law partner being the father of the former Governor George Bell Timmerman, Jr. George Bell Timmerman, Sr. joined Colonel Graham in his practice in the little white "Hendrix" house that was on Main Street in Lexington, South Carolina and recently has been moved to Lake Drive. It was first Colonel Graham's office.

Colonel Graham held the position of Judge of the Probate Court of Lexington county for two terms, being elected in 1886 and 1888. He also filled two terms the office of mayor of Lexington. As a democrat, he served Lexington as a delegate to the democratic nations convention at St. Louis in 1888 and helped to nominate Cleveland for the second time.

Colonel Graham was married to Sarah Elizabeth Hawkins, daughter of Rev. Jacob Hawkins, Lutheran Minister who was the editor of the Lutheran Visitor written in Newberry, South Carolina and published in Columbia, South Carolina. Mrs. Graham's mother was Mary Louise Wingard Hawkins, a daughter of John and Sarah Effler Wingard. They lived in the house now occupied by Hodges "Buck" Harmon on Hendrix Street in Lexington, South Carolina. They sold this house to move to Florida where Colonel Graham became a lawyer for the Railroad, although he kept his partnership with George Bell Timmerman and would travel back and forth from Florida to Lexington, South Carolina until his return to stay with his daughter, Lillian Ruth Graham Oswald. He died at her residence on South Church Street. (One of the reasons that he moved to Florida was that his wife, Mary Louise Wingard Graham could not forgive her friends who turned against her husband when he defended Willie Leaphart. They actually came to lynch Colonel Graham at his residence on Hendrix Street, but he had been warned and was secretly taken to Columbia for protection.)

Colonel Graham received his title as a colonel on the staff of Governor Richardson. He was also the Mayor of Crescent City, Florida.

Among his descendants are the family of Karl and Lillian Ruth Graham Oswald (who were my grandparents.) Three of his grandchildren are still living, Margaret Elizabeth Oswald Aldridge (of Lexington), Sara Barbara Oswald McCord (of College Park, Georgia), and Dorothy Ruth Oswald Connelly (of Summerville).

Submitted by Dorothy Hope Oswald Creasman, oldgoat@mindspring.com

If anyone has any knowledge of this case or any cases that Colonel Graham was involved in, I would appreciate your sharing it with me as I am presently writing a novel about it and want to keep it as accurate as possible.