South Carolina Governors 1670 to Present

Governors of Charles Town

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

1

William Sayle

1670-1671

2

Joseph West

1671-1672

3

John Yeamans

1672-1674

2

Joseph West

1674-1682

4

Joseph Morton

1682-1684

5

Richard Kyrle

1684

6

Robert Quarry

1684-1685

2

Joseph West

1685

4

Joseph Morton

1685-1686

7

James Colleton

1686-1690

Governors of "Ye Lands South and West of Cape Feare"

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

8

Seth Sothell

1690-1691

Governors of Carolina Province*

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

9

Philip Ludwell

1691-1693 

10

Thomas Smith

1693-1694

11

Joseph Blake

1694

12

John Archdale

1694-1696

11

Joseph Blake

1696-1700

13

James Moore, Sr.

1700-1702

14

Nathaniel Johnson

1702-1709

15

Edward Tynte

1709-1710

16

Robert Gibbes

1710-1711

17

Charles Craven

1711-1714

*Governor was in Charles Town, Deputy Governor was in Albemarle, NC.

Governors of South Carolina Province

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

17

Charles Craven

1714-1716

18

Robert Daniell

1716-1717

19

Robert Johnson

1717-1719

20

James Moore, Jr.*

1719-1721

21

Francis Nicholson*

1721-1724

22

Arthur Middleton*

1724-1729

*In 1719, after a popular uprising, the Crown took over the administration of South Carolina, and the governor was first elected by "the people."

Many historians refer to these last three governors as part of the Royal Governors - but, since the Lord Proprietors' charter had not been officially revoked until 1729, I choose to list these last three here. Most historians do not.


Royal Governors of South Carolina

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

19

Robert Johnson

1729-1735

23

Thomas Broughton

1735-1737

24

William Bull

1737-1738

25

James Glen

1738-1756

26

William Henry Lyttleton

1756-1760

27

William Bull, Jr.

1760-1761

28

Thomas Boone

1761-1764

27

William Bull, Jr.

1764-1766

29

Lord Charles Greville Montague

1766-1773

27

William Bull, Jr.

1773-1775

30

Lord William Campbell

1775

President of South Carolina

No.* 

Name

Year(s)

-

Henry Laurens***

1775-1776
*** President of Committee on Safety, Vice President of South Carolina

Governors of South Carolina State

No.** 

Name

Year(s)

31 /1

John Rutledge

1776-1778

32 / 2

Rawlins Lowndes

1778-1779

31 /1

John Rutledge

1779-1782

33 / 3

John Mathews

1782-1783

34 / 4

Benjamin Guerard

1783-1785

35 / 5

William Moultrie

1785-1787

36 / 6

Thomas Pinckney

1787-1789

37 / 7

Charles Pinckney

1789-1792

35 / 5

William Moultrie

1792-1794

38 / 8

Arnoldus VanderHorst

1794-1796

37 / 7

Charles Pinckney

1796-1798

39 / 9

Edward Rutledge

1798-1800

40 / 10

John Drayton

1800-1802

41 / 11

James Burchill Richardson

1802-1804

42 / 12

Paul Hamilton

1804-1806

37 / 7

Charles Pinckney

1806-1808

40 / 10

John Drayton

1808-1810

43 / 13

Henry Middleton

1810-1812

44 / 14

Joseph Alston

1812-1814

45 / 15

David Rogerson Williams

1814-1816

46 / 16

Andrew Pickens, Jr.

1816-1818

47 / 17

John Geddes

1818-1820

48 / 18

Thomas Bennett, Jr.

1820-1822

49 / 19

John Lyde Wilson

1822-1824

50 / 20

Richard Irvine Manning

1824-1826

51 / 21

John Taylor

1826-1828

52 / 22

Stephen Decatur Miller

1828-1830

53 / 23

James Hamilton, Jr.

1830-1832

54 / 24

Robert Young Hayne

1832-1834

55 / 25

George McDuffie

1834-1836

56 / 26

Pierce Mason Butler

1835-1838

57 / 27

Patrick Noble

1838-1840

58 / 28

Barnabas Kelet Henagan

1840

59 /29

John Peter Richardson, II

1840-1842

60 / 30

James Henry Hammond

1842-1844

61 / 31

William Aiken, Jr.

1844-1846

62 / 32

David Johnson

1846-1848

63 / 33

Whitemarsh Benjamin Seabrook

1848-1850

64 / 34

John Hugh Means

1850-1852

65 / 35

John Laurence Manning

1852-1854

66 / 36

James Hopkins Adams

1854-1856

67 / 37

Robert Francis Withers Allston

1856-1858

68 / 38

William Henry Gist

1858-1860

69 / 39

Francis Wilkinson Pickens

1860-1862

70 / 40

Milledge Luke Bonham

1862-1864

71 / 41

Andrew Gordon Magrath

1864-1865

72 / 42

Benjamin Franklin Perry

1865

73 / 43

James Lawrence Orr

1865-1868

74 / 44

Robert Kingston Scott

1868-1872

75 / 45

Franklin J. Moses, Jr.

1872-1874

76 / 46

Daniel Henry Chamberlain

1874-1877

77 / 47

Wade Hampton, III

1877-1879

78 / 48

William Dunlap Simpson

1879-1880

79 / 49

Thomas Bothwell Jeter

1880

80 / 50

Johnson Hagood

1880-1882

81 / 51

Hugh Smith Thompson

1882-1886

82 / 52

John Calhoun Sheppard

1886

83 / 53

John Peter Richardson, III

1886-1890

84 / 54

Benjamin Ryan Tillman

1890-1894

85 / 55

John Gary Evans

1894-1897

86 /56

William Haselden Ellerbe

1897-1899

87 / 57

Miles Benjamin McSweeney

1899-1903

88 / 58

Duncan Clinch Heyward

1903-1907

89 / 59

Martin Frederick Ansel

1907-1911

90 /60

Coleman Livingston Blease

1911-1915

91 / 61

Charles Aurelius Smith

1915

92 / 62

Richard Irvine Manning, III

1915-1919

93 / 63

Robert Archer Cooper

1919-1922

94 / 64

Wilson Godfrey Harvey, Jr.

1922-1923

95 / 65

Thomas Gordon McLeod

1923-1927

96 / 66

John Gardiner Richards, Jr.

1927-1931

97 / 67

Ibra Charles Blackwood

1931-1935

98 / 68

Olin Dewitt Talmadge Johnston

1935-1939

99 / 69

Burnet Rhett Maybank

1939-1941

100 / 70

Joseph Emile Harley

1941-1942

101 / 71

Richard Manning Jefferies

1942-1943

98 / 68

Olin Dewitt Talmadge Johnston

1943-1945

102 / 72

Ransome Judson Williams

1945-1947

103 / 73

James Strom Thurmond

1947-1951

104 / 74

James Francis Byrnes, Jr.

1951-1955

105 / 75

George Bell Timmerman, Jr.

1955-1959

106 / 76

Ernest Frederick Hollings

1959-1963

107 / 77

Donald Stuart Russell

1963-1965

108 / 78

Robert Evander McNair

1965-1971

109 / 79

John Carl West

1971-1975

110 / 80

James Burrows Edwards

1975-1979

111 / 81

Richard Wilson Riley

1979-1987

112 / 82

Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr.

1987-1995

113 / 83

David Muldrow Beasley

1995-1999

114 / 84

James Hovis Hodges

1999-2003

115 / 85

Marshall Clement Sanford, Jr.

2003-2011

116 / 86

Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley

2011-2017

117 / 87

Henry Dargan McMaster

2017 - ?

* Indicates unique numbering, that is, only listed once.
** Indicates unique numbering, that is, only listed once. First number is since the beginning of colonial times. Second number is since Statehood.

Will add subsequent governors. Stay tuned.

Click Here for Listing of All Lt. Governors 1730 to Present


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