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"B" is for Bennett, Thomas, Jr. [1781-1865]

South Carolina From A to Z
SC Public Radio

"B" is for Bennett, Thomas, Jr. [1781-1865]. Governor. Beginning as his father’s partner, Bennett built a lucrative lumber and rice mill business in Charleston. A prominent lowcountry entrepreneur, he held business positions that included director of the South Carolina Homespun Company, director of the Bank of the State of South Carolina, and director of the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston Railroad. He was active in the Charleston Chamber of Commerce and also served as mayor of the city. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and served as its speaker. In 1820 he was elected governor. The Denmark Vesey conspiracy occurred during his term and he publicly chastised Charleston authorities for the mass execution of alleged conspirators. During the nullification crisis of the 1830s, Thomas Bennett, Jr., was a staunch Unionist.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.