SC Governors – William Moultrie, 1785-1787, 1792-1794

Biographical Overview

• Born: November 23, 1730 in Charleston, South Carolina
  
• Died: September 27, 1805 in Charleston, South Carolina
  
• Buried: Charleston, South Carolina
  
• Religion: Presbyterian
  
• Political Party: Federalist
  

Education

Occupations

• Planter
• Captain, Provincial South Carolina Regiment
• Major General, Continental Army

Major Events and Accomplishments, 1st Term, 1785–1787

• 1785 – South Carolina was divided into counties and a system of county courts was established under the County Court Act
  
• 1786 – The General Assembly agreed to move the state capital from Charleston to Columbia
  

Major Events and Accomplishments, 2nd Term, 1792–1794

• The Orphan House opened in Charleston
  
• 1793 – Increased cultivation of cotton led to large exports
  
• 1794 – Privateers were recruited in Charleston for an expedition to Louisiana to regain lands in North America for France

Other Government Positions

• South Carolina House of Representatives, 1783
  
• Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, 1784
  
• South Carolina Senate, 1787
  

Other Accomplishments, Honors, Distinctions

• 1776-1780 – Moultrie served as second in command of Charleston's defenses during the Revolutionary War
  
• Moultrie designed a flag during the early days of the Revolutionary War that served as the basis for South Carolina's current flag
  
• Moultrie authored Memoirs of the American Revolution, two volumes of letters and accounts of the American Revolution in the Carolinas and Georgia, published 1802
  
• Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island and Lake Moultrie in northern Berkeley County were named for Moultrie
  

Election Results, 1st Term

• On May 10, 1785, the South Carolina General Assembly elected Moultrie for governor by secret ballot
  

Election Results, 2nd Term

• On December 4, 1792, Moultrie was elected to a second term by the South Carolina General Assembly by secret ballot
  

Web Resources

• Portrait - SC General Assembly
  
• Portrait - National Portrait Gallery