SC Governors – Francis Wilkinson Pickens, 1860-1862

Biographical Overview

• Born: April 7, 1805 in St. Paul's Parish, South Carolina
  
• Died: January 25, 1869 near Edgefield, South Carolina
  
• Buried: At Willowbrook Cemetery in Edgefield, SC
  
• Religion:
• Political Party: Democrat
  

Education

• South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) - withdrew 1827
  

Occupation

• Lawyer

Major Events and Accomplishments, 1860–1862

• December 20, 1860 – South Carolina seceded from the United States
  
• January 9, 1861 – Pickens authorized troops to fire on the Star of the West, a Union ship, in the first military engagement of the Civil War
  
• 1862 – South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) closed as a result of the onset of the Civil War

Other Government Positions

• South Carolina House of Representatives, 1832-1834, 1844-1846
  
• US House of Representatives, 1834-1843
  
• US Minister to Russia, 1858-1860
  

Other Accomplishments, Honors, Distinctions

• Francis Wilkinson Pickens was the son of Governor Andrew Pickens

Election Results

• On December 14, 1860, the South Carolina General Assembly elected Pickens for governor by secret ballot.
  

Web Resources

• Biographical information - US Congress
  
• Listing of records available at SC Archives and History Center