Williamson Robert Winfield Cobb, a U.S. and Confederate Congressman, was born in 1807 in Rhea County, Tennessee. In 1809, his family moved to southeastern Madison County, Alabama, where he attended local schools. He later moved to Bellefonte, Jackson County, and was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 1845. In 1847, Cobb was elected to Congress, representing Jackson, DeKalb, Marshall, and Madison counties. He served in the U.S. House for seven terms and was a strong Unionist and opponent of secession.