William Henry Gist | |
|---|---|
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| 68th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office December 10, 1858 – December 14, 1860 | |
| Lieutenant | Merrick E. Carn |
| Preceded by | Robert Francis Withers Allston |
| Succeeded by | Francis Wilkinson Pickens |
| 43rd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office December 12, 1848 – December 13, 1850 | |
| Governor | Whitemarsh B. Seabrook |
| Preceded by | William Cain |
| Succeeded by | Joshua J. Ward |
| Member of theSouth Carolina Senate fromUnion District | |
| In office November 25, 1844 – November 24, 1856 | |
| Preceded by | William Kennedy Clowney |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Fincher Gist |
| Member of theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from Union District | |
| In office November 23, 1840 – November 25, 1844 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1807-08-22)August 22, 1807 |
| Died | September 30, 1874(1874-09-30) (aged 67) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Bowen Mary Rice |
| Profession | Politician |
William Henry Gist (August 22, 1807 – September 30, 1874) was the 68thGovernor ofSouth Carolina from 1858 to 1860 and a leader of thesecession movement in South Carolina.[1] He was one of the signers of the Ordinance of Secession on December 20, 1860, which effectively launched theConfederate States of America.
Born inCharleston, South Carolina, on August 22, 1807, Gist was theillegitimate child ofmerchant Francis Fincher Gist and Mary Boyden. He moved with his father toUnion County, South Carolina, in 1811 and came under theguardianship of his uncle, Nathaniel Gist, upon the death of his father in 1819. His uncle legally obtained the Gist last name for William Henry and sent him to Columbia to study law at South Carolina College (which became theUniversity of South Carolina after the Civil War ended). Gist was expelled in 1827 because he had led a boycott of Steward's Hall due to the living restrictions imposed by the trustees of the college.
Nevertheless, Gist passed thebar examination and returned toUnion to buildRose Hill Plantation on the land that his father had left him. Bricks were made on-site to construct the2+1⁄2-storyGeorgian style mansion, and it took four years to complete. He successfully managed the plantation, and it steadily grew in size and importance. Twice, Gist ran into difficulties with the law for alleged involvement in duels, but both times escaped without punishment.
Gist won election to theSouth Carolina House of Representatives in 1840 as a strong supporter of states' rights and chattel slavery,[2] and he was elected to theSouth Carolina Senate in 1844. He served three terms in the SC state Senate before being elected by theGeneral Assembly as the68th Governor of South Carolina. Gist's home atRose Hill Plantation served as the Governor's Mansion during his term as governor.
Gist was bitterly opposed to thepresidential candidacy ofAbraham Lincoln in November 1860, and Gist had discussed with governors of otherSouthern states what course of action they would take if Lincoln were elected. Gist believed that because the United States of America was created through a compact among sovereign states, the states retained their sovereign powers and could leave the Union if the federal government failed to protect their rights and privileges. Receiving assurances from the governors of Florida andMississippi that they would follow South Carolina's lead, Gist called for asecession convention to be held inColumbia on December 17, 1860. The convention was moved toCharleston because of asmallpox outbreak in Columbia, and Gist was one of the signers of theOrdinance of Secession on December 20, 1860. Florida and Mississippi signed their ownOrdinance of Secession in January 1861.
The creation of the South Carolina Executive Council in 1861 provided Gist with an opportunity to participate in the state's wartime activities of theCivil War. He was in charge of the Department of Treasury and Finance and later the Department of Construction and Manufactures, but the dissolution of the South Carolina Executive Council in September 1862 ended his involvement in the politics of the state.
Gist had two sons who fought for the Confederacy the youngest being David Christopher Gist. His eldest son William was killed by a Union sharpshooter outside ofChattanooga, Tennessee in 1863. Gist was the cousin ofStates Rights Gist, a Confederate brigadier general who died leading a charge at theBattle of Franklin, Tennessee, in 1864.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, Gist took anoath of allegiance inGreenville, South Carolina, and received apardon from PresidentAndrew Johnson. He returned toRose Hill Plantation, which had survived the Civil War andSherman's March to the Sea because the Broad River was in flood stages and the Union troops could not get through. Gist remained at Rose Hill and rented out the land tosharecroppers. He hated the Reconstruction government that was in power from 1868 until the time of his death. He developedappendicitis and died on September 30, 1874. Gist is buried in the family plot near the mansion.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina 1848–1850 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of South Carolina 1858–1860 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Other | |
