Andrew Pickens Junior

Andrew Pickens junior (born December 13, 1779 in Edgefield County , South Carolina , † July 1, 1838 in Pontotock , Mississippi ) was an American politician and governor of South Carolina from 1816 to 1818 .

Early years

Andrew Pickens came from a prominent South Carolina family. His father of the same name , who lived from 1739 to 1817, was a noted general during the American Revolutionary War and a wealthy planter in Edgefield County . His brother Ezekiel (1768-1818) was from 1802 to 1804 Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Young Andrew attended the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University . Pickens initially made a military career. In the war of 1812 he served as a lieutenant colonel . After his return he founded his own plantation in Edgefield County, which he called "Oatlands".

Governor of south carolina

Pickens was a member of the Democratic Republican Party and was proposed by this also to governor. He was then elected by the Members of Parliament. His term of office began on December 1, 1816 and ended constitutionally two years later on December 1, 1818. During this time, Pickens focused on developing the infrastructure of his country. This included road construction and the expansion of the canal system to improve inland navigation. During his reign, cotton prices peaked before the American Civil War . With the appointment of John C. Calhoun as Secretary of War by President James Monroe , South Carolina's influence in the federal government increased. In those years the political as well as the economic importance of the state increased enormously. A yellow fever epidemic from that time is also worth mentioning , which particularly affected the city of Charleston .

Further career

Even after the end of his tenure, Pickens remained politically active. First he moved to Alabama . There he also grew cotton and became president of the Alabama State Bank and Indian agent . He was also involved in a contract between the Creek Indians and the state of Georgia . Andrew Pickens died in Mississippi on July 1, 1838. He was married twice and had a total of two children, including the son Francis Wilkinson Pickens (1805-1869), who was also governor of South Carolina between 1860 and 1862 and led the country into secession .

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4. Meckler Books, Westport, CT, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Andrew Pickens Jr. in the National Governor Association (English)
• South Carolina Information Highway (English)
• Andrew Pickens Jr. in the database of Find a Grave (English)