In this section find South Carolinians who served in leadership roles that helped shape policies and bring change.
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“M” is for McSweeney, Miles Benjamin [1855-1909]. Governor. After serving as co-publisher of a newspaper in Ninety Six, McSweeney moved to Hampton and founded the Hampton County Guardian. He became an...
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South Carolinians also send Senators and Representatives to sit in the national Congress. From left to right are portrayed some of South Carolina's most influential state and national elected...
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“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens [1794-1863]. Legislator, congressman, editor. In 1816, Pinckney was elected to the South Carolina House where he served until 1828—and again from 1830-1832. He was...
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“W” is for Wilson, John Lyde [1784-1849]. Governor. From 1806 to 1822 Wilson served in both the South Carolina House and Senate. Elected governor in 1822, he proved to be an ardent advocate of states’...
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"H" is for Heyward, Duncan Clinch. Governor.
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“B” is for Blake, Joseph [1663-1700]. Governor. Born in England, Blake was a leader of the Dissenter political faction in South Carolina and a supporter of the Lords Proprietors in their disputes with...
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James B. Edwards was a dentist before he was elected as the first post-Reconstruction Republican Governor of South Carolina in 1974 (see Inauguration Of James B. Edwards). At the end of his term as...
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Born near Trenton, in Edgefield County, Governor Benjamin R. Tillman (1847-1918) attended a local "field school" and Bethany Academy. During the 1890s, farmers began to organize a national movement to...
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Born on his family's plantation on the Tuggaloo River in St. Paul's Parish, Francis W. Pickens (1805-1869) attended Franklin College (now University of Georgia) at Athens, Georgia, and South Carolina...
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Born in Craytonville, in the Pendleton District, Governor James L. Orr (1822-1873) was educated in local schools and later attended the University of Virginia to study law. After graduation, he...