Little is known about the elusive former State Superintendent of Education, John R. Tolbert. He was appointed state superintendent in 1876 but was not allowed to assume office when his political opponents, the Democrats, gained control of state government.

Tolbert was also a Republican leader in South Carolina and a customs collector in Charleston, S.C. He died January 10, 1918 at his home in Ninety-Six, S.C.