“W” is for Whipper, William J. (d. 1907)

William J. Whipper was one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina’s Reconstruction government. Born free in Philadelphia, Whipper joined a Michigan volunteer regiment during the Civil War. At the end of the war, he was among the federal occupation forces in South Carolina. He settled in Beaufort and became active in Republican Party politics. Whipper was a member of the 1868 Constitutional Convention and was one of the most progressive delegates, supporting free public education for all South Carolinians. He represented Beaufort County in the South Carolina House of Representatives where his talent and intellect made him one of the most influential members of the Reconstruction legislature. William J. Whipper’s last political duty was as a delegate from Beaufort County to the state constitutional convention of 1895.