John Drayton

John Drayton (June 22, 1766ndash November 27, 1822) was a Democratic-Republican Governor of South Carolina on two non-consecutive occasions from 1800 to 1802 and 1808 to 1810.

Early life and career

Drayton was born on Drayton Hall Plantation in St. Andrews Parish near Charleston. He was educated at the College of New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War and afterwards studied law at Inner Temple in London. Drayton received an LL.D from South Carolina College in 1807, an institution he helped establish.

Political career

Early rise

In 1792, Drayton was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives and was a member until 1798 when the General Assembly elected him as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Upon the death of Edward Rutledge on January 23, 1800, Drayton became Governor of South Carolina for the remainder of the term. The General Assembly chose him to serve out a full two-year term in 1800 because of his strong Republicanism.

outh Carolina College

The most important act during Drayton's first full term, indeed the most important in the state's history, was the establishment of South Carolina College. Drayton had pushed for a state funded college immediately when he became governor upon the death of Edward Rutledge, but it was not until after his election that the General Assembly pushed to create and provide funds for a college. The location of Columbia near the State House was favored by Drayton because it was a central location that would provide an opportunity at higher education for all South Carolinians. In addition, it was hoped that the future leaders of South Carolina would be educated together in order to quell any divisions between the Lowcountry and the Backcountry. Indeed, the General Assembly followed the direction of Governor Drayton and appropriated fifty thousand dollars to construct the college in Columbia and another six thousand for the salaries of the faculty.

econd time as governor

Upon leaving the governorship in 1802, Drayton returned to Charleston where he won election to the South Carolina Senate in 1805 and after three years, the General Assembly chose Drayton for a second two-year term as governor in 1808. Drayton and the General Assembly continued the Republican reforms and expanded the suffrage to all white men, regardless of status or wealth.

Later life and career

Drayton was appointed a United States District Judge by President James Madison after leaving the governorship for a final time and served on the bench until his death. An avid writer, Drayton authored several works with regards to South Carolina: "Carolinian Florist", "A View of South Carolina, as Respects Her Natural and Civil Concerns" and "Memoirs of the American Revolution from its Commencement to the Year 1776". On November 27, 1822, Drayton died and was buried in Charleston.

References

*cite book |first=David Duncan |last=Wallace |title=South Carolina: A Short History |year=1951 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |pages=358, 473
*cite book |first=John Harold |last=Wolfe |title=Jeffersonian Democracy in South Carolina |year=1940 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |pages=171-173

External links

* [http://www.sciway.net/hist/governors/drayton.html SCIway Biography of John Drayton]
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=7df225330cd1a010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD NGA Biography of John Drayton]