William Drayton (politician)

William Drayton (1818, painting by Samuel FB Morse )

William Drayton (born December 30, 1776 in St. Augustine , British colony of East Florida , †  May 24, 1846 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician . Between 1825 and 1833 he represented the state of South Carolina in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Drayton was a cousin of William Henry Drayton (1742–1779), who took part in the years 1778 and 1779 as a delegate at the Continental Congress. He first attended a few schools in England . In 1790 he returned to the United States and settled in Charleston, South Carolina. After a subsequent law degree and his admission as a lawyer in December 1797, he began to work in Charleston in his new profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career. Between 1806 and 1808 he was a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina . During the British-American War of 1812 he served in the United States Army . He rose to General Inspector.

After the war, Drayton worked as a lawyer in Charleston again. Between 1819 and 1824 he was a council writer ( recorder ) in this city. In the 1820s he joined Andrew Jackson and his movement that became the Democratic Party . After the resignation of Congressman Joel Roberts Poinsett , Drayton was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC as his successor in the first constituency of South Carolina . There he took up his new mandate on May 17, 1825. After three re-elections, he could remain in Congress until March 3, 1833 . From 1827 he was chairman of the military committee. After the new President Jackson took office, Drayton turned down his offer to become Secretary of War, as did the post of Ambassador to England. During the nullification crisis , Drayton supported President Jackson and the federal government.

In August 1833 he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he wrote a treatise in favor of slavery . In 1840 and 1841 Drayton was President of the Bundesbank . He died in Philadelphia on May 24, 1846. During the Civil War , two of his sons were officers who fought on different sides: Percival was an officer in the US Navy , Thomas was a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army .

Web links

• William Drayton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Drayton in the database of Find a Grave (English)