William Cabell Rives: A Country to Serve

William Cabell Rives (1793-1868) received his early political education from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Rives later wrote a three volume Madison biography, and he edited a four volume edition of Madison’s papers. As a U.S. Senator from Virginia, Rives engaged in fierce debates in the 1830s and 1840s with Clay, Calhoun, and Webster. While serving as U.S. Minister to France, Rives witnessed the 1830 Paris Revolution. Lafayette sought his advice about forming a government in its aftermath. Hoping to spare his own country from similar bloodshed, Rives struggled to prevent secession and was a delegate to the February 1861 Peace Conference. When events forced him to choose between devotion to his country and loyalty to his native state, Rives made the same choice as Robert E. Lee, who praised Rives’ untiring efforts for the maintenance of constitutional liberty. He served in the Confederate Congress. In 1867 Rives accepted appointment as a Trustee of the Peabody Education Fund, which sought to rebuild southern educational institutions and promote reconciliation. This is the first full length biography of a leading statesman, author, and agriculturalist.