SC Governors – John Rutledge, 1776-1778, 1779-1782

Biographical Overview

• Born: 1739 in Christ Church Parish, SC
  
• Died: July 23, 1800 in Charleston, South Carolina
  
• Buried: St. Michael's Churchyard in Charleston, SC
  
• Religion:
• Political Party: No party affiliation
  

Education

• Middle Temple - London, England
  

Occupation

• Lawyer

Major Events and Accomplishments, 1st Term, 1776–1778

• March 26, 1776 – Four months before the Declaration of Independence was signed, South Carolina adopted a state constitution drafted by a Provincial Congress becoming the first republic in America. John Rutledge was elected as the state's first president and Henry Laurens as its vice-president making the two the first president and vice-president in America.
  
• June 28, 1776 – Colonel William Moultrie and his patriot troops defeated Sir Peter Parker's attempt to sail a British Fleet into Charlestown harbor
  
• August 5, 1776 – News of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia reached Charlestown
  
• February 13, 1777 – The new state government threatened all white male citizens who refused to denounce King George III and pledge allegiance to the state with banishment
  
• May 20, 1777 – Representatives from Georgia and South Carolina met with the Cherokee Indians to make the Treaty of DeWitt's Corner by which South Carolina gained most of present-day Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties
  
• May 22, 1777 – The state seal was used for the first time
  
• 1778 – President Rutledge resigned due to his refusal to approve changes in the state constitution and was succeeded by Rawlins Lowndes
  

Major Events and Accomplishments, 2nd Term, 1779–1782

• January 9, 1779 – Governor Rutledge was the first chief executive to be elected under the state constitution that changed the title of the chief executive's office from president to governor
  
• May 12, 1780 – After a lengthy siege by the British, General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered Charlestown to General Henry Clinton
  
• September 3, 1780 – While travelling to Holland to seek a loan for the American cause, Henry Laurens was captured by the British
  

Other Government Positions

• Stamp Act Congress, 1765
  
• Continental Congress, 1774-1775, 1782-1783
  
• Constitutional Convention, 1787 – Rutledge attended all sessions and served on five committees. He chaired the Committee on Detail that set the agenda of the meetings and played a major role in drafting the final document.
  
• Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, 1789-1791
  
• Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, 1790-1795
  

Other Accomplishments, Honors, Distinctions

• 1785 – Rutledge was a founding trustee of the College of Charleston
  
• 1795 – Rutledge was nominated to be the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court but was not confirmed by the US Senate
  
• Rutledge's brother Edward Rutledge also severed as governor
  
• The University of South Carolina's Rutledge College, Charleston's Rutledge Avenue, and Orangeburg's Rutledge Street were named for John Rutledge
  

Election Results, 1st Term

• In 1776, the South Carolina General Assembly elected Rutledge for president
  

Election Results, 2nd Term

• In 1779, Rutledge was elected governor by the South Carolina General Assembly
  

Web Resources

• Biographical information - US Congress
  
• Biographical information - US Senate
  
• Biographical sketch - National Archives and Records Administration
  
• Biography - US Army Center of Military History
  
• Marble bust of US Cheif Justice John Rutledge