Edward Rutledge | |
|---|---|
 1791 oil painting of Rutledge byJames Earl | |
| 39th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office December 18, 1798 – January 23, 1800 | |
| Lieutenant | John Drayton |
| Preceded by | Charles Pinckney |
| Succeeded by | John Drayton |
| Delegate fromSouth Carolina to theContinental Congress | |
| In office 1774 – 1776 | |
| Member of the South Carolina Senate fromCharleston | |
| In office November 28, 1796 – December 6, 1798 | |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives fromCharleston | |
| In office January 6, 1783 – November 28, 1796 | |
| In office March 26, 1776 – October 17, 1778 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1749-11-23)November 23, 1749 |
| Died | January 23, 1800(1800-01-23) (aged 50) |
| Resting place | Saint Philip's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charleston |
| Party | Federalist |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Shubrick Eveleigh[citation needed] |
| Relatives | John Rutledge (brother) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America State of South Carolina |
| Branch/service | South Carolina militia |
| Years of service | 1778–1781 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War |
Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an AmericanFounding Father and politician who signed theContinental Association and was the youngest signatory of theDeclaration of Independence. He later served as the39th governor of South Carolina.
Rutledge was born inCharleston, South Carolina. He was the youngest of seven children (5 sons and 2 daughters) born to Dr. John Rutledge and Sarah Hext, who was 15 when her first child (John) was born. His father was a physician and colonist ofScots-Irish descent; his mother was born in South Carolina and was ofEnglish descent. Following his elder brothers,John and Hugh, he studied law in London at theInns of Court. In 1772 he was admitted to the English bar (Middle Temple)[1] and returned to Charleston to practice.
He was married on March 1, 1774, to Henrietta Middleton (17 November 1750 – 22 April 1792), daughter ofHenry Middleton. The couple had three children:
Rutledge had a successful law practice with his partner,Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. He became a leading citizen of Charleston. He owned more than 50 enslaved people.[2]
During theAmerican Revolution, Rutledge served along with his brother John representing South Carolina in theContinental Congress (1774–1776). He worked to haveAfrican Americans expelled from theContinental Army.[2] Although a firm supporter of colonial rights, he (as a delegate) was instructed initially to opposeRichard Henry Lee'sResolution of independence; South Carolina's leaders were unsure that the time was "ripe".[3] At age 26 he was the youngest delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence.
He returned home in November 1776 to take a seat in the General Assembly. He served as a captain of artillery in the South Carolina militia, and fought at theBattle of Beaufort in 1779. In May 1780, Rutledge was captured along with his co-signers of the Declaration of Independence,Arthur Middleton andThomas Heyward during thesiege of Charleston and were taken toSt. Augustine, Florida. They were released during a prisoner exchange in July 1781.[4]
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After his release he returned to the General Assembly, where he served until 1796. He was known as an active legislator and an advocate for the confiscation ofLoyalist property. Like John Rutledge, Edward Rutledge opposed theJay Treaty and the Anglophilic stance he perceived in theFederalist Party.[5] As an elector in the1796 presidential election, Rutledge voted for the two Southern candidates, RepublicanThomas Jefferson and FederalistThomas Pinckney.[6]
Rutledge had not been close with the victorJohn Adams dating back to their days in the Continental Congress, but he approved of Adams's defense policies towards France during theQuasi-War.[7] The opposition afforded Adams's measures by Vice President Jefferson, and the Congressional Republicans angered Rutledge because he now saw the Republicans as more partial to France than to American interests, a situation similar to the pro-British feelings he sensed in the Federalists during the Jay Treaty debates.[8] Rutledge thereafter ceased communication with Jefferson.[8] Rutledge served in the state senate for two years, then was elected governor in 1798.
Governor Rutledge, while attending an important meeting inColumbia, had to be sent home because of hisgout. He died in Charleston before the end of his term. Some said at the time that he died fromapoplexy resulting from hearing the news ofGeorge Washington's death.[2] Since 1971, his home in Charleston is now aNational Historic Landmark,[9] and is privately owned and operated as abed & breakfast, theGovernor's House Inn.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor of South Carolina 1798–1800 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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