Charles Pinckney (politician, 1757)

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Charles Pinckney

Charles Pinckney (born October 26, 1757 in Charleston , Province of South Carolina , † October 29, 1824 ibid) was an American politician and multiple governor of the state of South Carolina , which he also represented in the United States Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Pinckney was the son of a wealthy lawyer and plantation owner. He enjoyed private schooling and then studied law with his father. He was admitted to the bar in 1779. At times he fought in the War of Independence , where he was captured by the British between 1780 and 1781. Between 1779 and 1814 Pinckney was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives on several occasions . From 1784 to 1787 he took part as a delegate at the Continental Congress. In 1787 he was a delegate for South Carolina in the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention , where he presented his own draft constitution, the Pinckney Plan . Pinckney is a co-signatory to the United States Constitution . He was also a member of the South Carolina congregation that ratified this constitution. In 1790 he was chairman of a commission to review the South Carolina Constitution. In the following years he was governor of his home state three times for two years.

Governor of south carolina

His first term began on January 26, 1789 and ended on December 5, 1792. He took over from his cousin Thomas Pinckney . During this time, all government documents were moved from the old capital, Charleston, to Columbia , the new capital. In 1790, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights , were ratified by South Carolina. In the same year the constitution was amended and the governor's term of office was limited to two years. Direct re-election was not possible. In February 1791 the birthright was abolished in South Carolina.

Pinckney's second term began on December 1, 1796 and ended on December 6, 1798. During this period, a certain Dr. Howe of the South Carolinas Agricultural Society sold his property to an agricultural school for poor children. This resulted in the "John de La Howe School", which still exists today. It was also around this time that Pinckney fell out with the Federalist Party and became a supporter of Thomas Jefferson . The background to the dispute was a contrast between the population in the east of the country and those in the west. In the east it was mainly the large plantation owners who lived, the west was inhabited more by poorer people who had less political power and influence. Pinckney actually belonged to the group of landowners in the east; nevertheless he also supported the political demands of the West. In doing so, he offended his old party friends. His third term, into which he was elected as a supporter of Thomas Jefferson, began in December 1806 and ended in the same month of 1808. During this time he was even more committed to the concerns of the so-called "backcountry men " a. He called for the right to vote for all white men and better political representation for this group.

US Senator

After the end of his second term in 1798, Pinckney was elected as the Democratic Republican in the US Senate . He stayed there until 1801. Jefferson thanked him for his support by appointing him ambassador to Spain . There he was from 1801 to 1805. In Madrid he made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Spaniards to cede Florida to the USA. From 1806 to 1808 he was again governor of South Carolina. Between 1810 and 1814 he was a member of parliament in his home state. He took his last political office in 1819 as a member of the House of Representatives of the United States . He kept this mandate until 1821. Then he withdrew from politics. He still practiced as a lawyer and died in 1824.

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personal data
SURNAME Pinckney, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 26, 1757
PLACE OF BIRTH Charleston , South Carolina
DATE OF DEATH October 29, 1824
Place of death Charleston , South Carolina