William Bilbo

Born in Wilson County, Tennessee,[1] Bilbo became a prosperous lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was among the leaders of the Know-Nothing Party. He also worked as a journalist with the Nashville Gazette, and was briefly the proprietor of the paper.[2] Bilbo purchased a large amount of coal country, and persuaded a group of New York financiers to help establish a coal mining company in Tennessee, called the Sewanee Mining Company; Bilbo then sold his land to the company at a profit.[3][4]

Bilbo was apparently a loyal member of the Confederacy until 1864, when he suddenly moved north.[4] He knew Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State (William H. Seward) from their days in the Whig Party.[5]

Via Seward, Bilbo offered his lobbying services to Lincoln, on behalf of congressional approval for the Thirteenth Amendment, which ultimately banned slavery throughout the United States. With Seward's approval, Bilbo went to drum up support for the Amendment in New York. Bilbo told Seward: "I promised you the requisite votes, and neither energy, time or money shall be wanting on my part to attain our end..."[4] Bilbo was arrested on suspicion of being a rebel spy, but Lincoln ordered his release. It is not clear that Bilbo succeeded in swaying many opinions regarding the pending amendment.[6]

The lobbying group that Seward organized (the "Seward Lobby") doggedly pursued Democratic votes, using questionable, maybe even corrupt methods.[5] Besides Bilbo, Seward's lobbying group included three other Democratic operatives: Emanuel B. Hart, Robert Latham, and George O. Jones, who all worked on New York congressmen for their support. Bilbo had some success with Congressman Homer A. Nelson, who ended up voting for the amendment. At the end of his congressional term, Nelson was offered a foreign post in appreciation for his support, but declined.[7]

Bilbo died of dysentery and pneumonia on July 26, 1867, in South Nashville, Tennessee and was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville,[8] leaving his wife Martha W. Bilbo and three children.[9]

In his death notice in the Sunday, July 28, 1867 edition of The Nashville Tennessean, it summarized his life as follows:

"Our citizens were taken somewhat by surprise on learning, yesterday morning, of the death of W. N. Bilbo, Esq. He died at 11 o'clock on Friday night, at his residence in South Nashville, after a short illness. Deceased was born in Wilson County in 1822, and commenced the study of law at an early age, in the Lebanon Law School. Shortly after the breaking out of the Florida war, he volunteered, and remained in the military service until the close of the campaign, when he returned and resumed his legal studies. He commenced the practice of law here in Nashville, and, after a time, became the law partner of Hon John Bell, and soon acquired the reputation of possessing promising abilities. A work written when he was about thirty years old, entitled "The American Text Book", and generally attributed to his pen, materially enhanced the reputation he already possessed. In the Filmore and Donelson campaign, he assumed the editorial control of the Nashville Gazette, and battled for the success of the "American" candidates. For a time, Mr. Bilbo exercised considerable influence, exerting himself mainly for the success of public improvements of every kind. In the way of popular speaking he had considerable aptitude, and was recognized as having more than ordinary abilities in that direction. His course during the war is already well known, without further reference here. A couple of weeks since he went to East Tennessee, and returned hence last Saturday weak, we believe, suffering from a severe cold, contracted in his travels, and which terminated in his death. He leaves a family to mourn his decease."[10]

In the 2012 film Lincoln, the character of William Bilbo is portrayed by actor James Spader. No photos or portraits of Bilbo are known to exist.