George Baird Hodge
Submitted by
Geoff Walden
George Baird Hodge was born 8 April 1828 in Fleming County Ky. and married Keturah Tibbatts, daughter of John Wolleston Tibbatts and Ann W Taylor in Campbell County, August 20, 1851. He was a Candidate for the U.S. Representative from Kentucky, 10th District in 1853; member of Kentucky state legislature, 1859; He was a delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress, 1861-62 and Representative in the Confederate Congress 1862-1864. He served as a Brigadier General for the Confederate States of America.
*********
Daily Louisville Democrat, Tuesday, 10 June 1856, page 2
Col. George W Hodge, of Newport, who was on of the most talented, respectable and influential members of the Know-Nothing party in Kentcky, has withdrawn from the order and identified himself with the Democratic party. We understand he will convass his district during the summer in favor of the Democratic ticket.
**********
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Thursday, 3 June 1858, page 2
Col. J R Hallam, of Newport was accidentally shot in the left foot yesterday in Newport, by Col George P Hodge, his law partner. They had been purchasing pistols. Col. Hodge placed his in his coat pocket behind and while walking up York street with Col Hallam, he put his hand in his pocket to adjust the weapon and it discharged. The ball struck Hallam's left foot, breaking a bone and wounding him seriously.
*********
He was a member of the Kentucky State Senate 1873-77. He died 1 August 1892 in Longwood Orange Co. Florida and was originally buried in Seminole County. He was re-interred in 1903 in Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate.
George Baird Hodge Brought Home
From the Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, published by the John M Gresman Company, Chicago-Philadelphia 1896
GENERAL GEORGE BAIRD HODGE was born in Fleming County, April 8,
1828 and was educated at Maysville and in the Navy School at Annapolis,
Maryland. He was midshipman in the United States navy in 1845; served as
midshipman through the Mexican war; resigned in April 1850; in 1853 at the age
of twenty-five, he was the Whig candidate for Congress; made a brilliant but
unsuccessful campaign; then began the practice of law in Newport; was a member
of the Kentucky house of representatives from 1859 to 1861 and was chairman of
the committee on federal relations, when the celebrated resolution declaring the
neutrality of Kentucky was passed, May 16, 1861; was candidate in 1860 for
elector at large on the Breckinridge and Lane ticket; entered the Confederate
army as a private soldier, September 23, 1861; was a member of the provisional
government of Kentucky in 1861; member from Kentucky of the Confederate
provisional congress 1862; and when not attending the sessions of congress
continued to serve in the army; was made captain and assistant adjutant
general of Gen Breckinridge's division 1862; promoted to major for distinguished
gallantry at the battle of Shiloh, April 1862; was made colonel 1864 and
brigadier general of cavalry the same year and was in command of the military
district of Mississippi and Louisiana at the close of the war 1865.
Gen Hodge resumed the practice of law in Newport in 1866; was candidate for presidential elector at large on the Greeley and Brown ticket in 1872 and received the highest vote cast and was president of the electoral college which met in Frankfort, December 4, 1872. He was an able lawyer, a shrewd politician, a beautiful and forceful writer, a ready, eloquent speaker and was prominently mentioned as a candidate for governor in 1874, but at that time he removed to Longwood, Orange County, Florida and made that his home until the time of his death in 1892.