John Geddes (politician)

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the cyclist of the same name, see John Geddes (cyclist) .

John Geddes (born December 25, 1777 in Charleston , South Carolina , †  March 4, 1828 ibid) was an American politician and governor of the state of South Carolina from 1818 to 1820 .

Early years and political advancement

John Geddes attended the College of Charleston and then studied law. In 1797 he was admitted to the bar. Geddes first turned to the military and joined the South Carolina National Guard. There he made it to major general in the course of time. Geddes was a member of the then dominant party of the Democratic Republicans . After a short time as justice of the peace, he was from 1808 to 1816 a member of the House of Representatives of South Carolina and at times even president ( speaker ) of the house. From 1816 to 1818 he was a member of the State Senate .

Governor of south carolina

The House of Representatives elected him the new governor of South Carolina in late 1818. His tenure began on December 1, 1818 and ended constitutionally two years later on December 1, 1820. During this time, the slave question first became a focus of American politics. Since South Carolina was one of the states that advocated slavery , that country was also affected by the nationwide discussion. It was about the admission of new states to the USA and whether slavery should be allowed or prohibited in them. The northern states advocated a ban, while the south advocated slavery in new states. The conflict was resolved by the Missouri Compromise of 1820 introduced by Senator Henry Clay .

Another problem that caused concern in South Carolina was a law passed by Congress in 1820 banning the slave trade from Africa to America and punishing violations with the death penalty. Mind you, this law did not prohibit slavery as such, only the importation of new slaves. Still, South Carolina felt offended by it. With slavery being the cornerstone of the country's economy, South Carolina became increasingly aggressive in responding to any criticism of the system. This development dragged on until the secession in 1861. While Governor Geddes was in office, the Missouri Compromise was able to reduce the problem somewhat, but in the long term the dispute over slavery was far from over.

Further career

The South Carolina constitution then only allowed a single contiguous term for a governor. Therefore, Geddes could not be re-elected in 1820. At the end of his term of office, he initially returned to the National Guard. He was Mayor of Charleston between 1824 and 1825. He was involved in a pistol duel with a political opponent who was killed in the process. John Geddes died in Charleston in March 1828. He was married twice and had three children in total.

Web links

• John Geddes in the National Governor Association (English)
• South Carolina Information Highway (English)
• John Geddes in the database of Find a Grave (English)