Daniel Henry Chamberlain | |
|---|---|
_(14592290138).jpg) Chamberlain c. 1898 | |
| 76th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office December 1, 1874 – April 11, 1877Disputed with Wade Hampton III from December 14, 1876[a] | |
| Lieutenant | Richard Howell Gleaves |
| Preceded by | Franklin J. Moses, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Wade Hampton III |
| Attorney General of South Carolina | |
| In office July 6, 1868 – December 7, 1872 | |
| Governor | Robert K. Scott |
| Preceded by | I. W. Hayne |
| Succeeded by | Samuel W. Melton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1835-06-23)June 23, 1835 |
| Died | April 13, 1907(1907-04-13) (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Pine Grove Cemetery in West Brookfield, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Yale University Harvard University |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1863–1865 |
| Rank | Second lieutenant |
| Unit | 5th Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Daniel Henry Chamberlain (June 23, 1835 – April 13, 1907) was an American planter, lawyer, author and the76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1876 or 1877.[a] The federal government withdrew troops from the state and endedReconstruction that year. Chamberlain was the lastRepublican governor of South Carolina untilJames B. Edwards was elected in 1974.
Chamberlain was born inWest Brookfield inWorcester County in centralMassachusetts, the ninth of ten children born to Eli Chamberlain and Achsah Forbes. In 1862, he graduated with honors fromYale University, where he was a member of theSkull and Bones society.[1]: 95
He attendedHarvard Law School, leaving in 1863 to serve as asecond lieutenant in theUnited States Army with the5th Massachusetts Cavalry, aregiment of black troops. In 1866, Chamberlain moved toSouth Carolina to tend to the affairs of a deceased classmate.
Chamberlain entered politics as a delegate to the1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention fromBerkeley County. He served asstate attorney general from 1868–1872 in the administration of GovernorRobert K. Scott. After he failed to win the Republican nomination for governor in 1872, Chamberlain practiced law inCharleston. His partner later recalled that he worked hard for little compensation; whatever his ethics in office, he certainly had not amassed a fortune.[2] In 1873, he was elected to the board of trustees of theUniversity of South Carolina as the first black students were admitted and faculty hired for the institution.
Chamberlain was elected Republican governor on November 3, 1874, when he defeatedJohn T. Green. Chamberlain received 80,403 votes (53.9%) to Green's 68,818 votes (46.1%). Chamberlain's reputation had been a dubious one; there certainly was evidence of a willingness to make his office pay, and possibly of corruption, in his earlier career. But by the time he became governor, he had become the representative of those Republicans convinced of the need for reform—a conviction strengthened by the notorious administration of his predecessor,Franklin J. Moses, Jr., and the national publicity given toThe Prostrate State, the exposure of South Carolina political conditions written byJames Shepherd Pike.
Chamberlain delivered on his promises. While continuing his support ofcivil rights, he made war on government expenses and the high tax levels in the state. He tried to reduce all public officers' wages by a third and used hisveto against tax rates that he considered too high. He urged that spending be cut for the lunatic asylum and that many of its inmates be shipped off to county poorhouses. Instead of paying so much for the penitentiary, he endorsed revival of theconvict-lease system. He believed that there should only be half as much money for the agricultural college, and an end to any state scholarship program. As for the state university, Chamberlain called for dismissing its faculty and replacing them with school teachers. "We only want a good high school", as he put it.[3] His struggles overpatronage pitted him against some of the leading African-American Republicans in the legislature and gave him a national reputation. It also made him deep enemies in the party.
Enjoying a close alliance with the Democratic editor of theCharleston News and Courier, Chamberlain may have hoped for bipartisan support in his bid for re-election. It did not come. South Carolinian Democrats chose to adopt awhite-supremacy program, re-enforced with intimidation and the use of force against black Republican voters. Thebitterly fought 1876 campaign was disrupted with mob violence and gunmen breaking up Republican campaign meetings.[4] After Chamberlain informed PresidentUlysses S. Grant of the violent situation, Grant sent troops in October 1876 under General of the ArmyWilliam T. Sherman to stop the violent mob action.[5] On election night, his second term hinged on disputed votes fromLaurens andEdgefield counties, where the counts greatly exceeded the total population. These overwhelmingly favored his opponent,ex-ConfederateWade Hampton, III.
Through the winter, Chamberlain and Hampton both claimed to lead the lawful government, but Chamberlain's found it nearly impossible to raise the money or military force to function beyond the rooms in which it met. Chamberlain left South Carolina in April 1877 when PresidentRutherford B. Hayeswithdrew Federal troops to barracks from their place protecting the Republican government and ended the interventions that had taken place intermittently in the state since theCivil War. Embittered, Chamberlain blamed the President for having betrayed the mass of South Carolina's voters; the population was 58% African American. In later years, however, he grew disillusioned withReconstruction and contended that letting black people vote had been a mistake.
Chamberlain moved to New York City and became a successfulWall Street attorney. He was a professor ofconstitutional law atCornell University from 1883 until 1897. Chamberlain authored the 1902 bookCharles Sumner and the Treaty of Washington, as well as numerous articles.
Upon his retirement, he traveled extensively in Europe. He moved toCharlottesville,Virginia, where he died ofcancer on April 13, 1907. He is interred at Pine Grove Cemetery in West Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Chamberlain was the last Republican to fill a high office in South Carolina until 1964, whenU.S. SenatorStrom Thurmond defected from the Democratic to the Republican parties.
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| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of South Carolina 1874,1876 | Vacant Title next held by Joseph Augustis Tolbert |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Isaac W. Hayne | Attorney General of South Carolina 1868–1872 | Succeeded by Samuel Wickliff Melton |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of South Carolina 1874–1876 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
