“G” is for Gillon, Alexander (1741-1794). Congressman, merchant, naval officer, legislator. A native of Holland, Gillon settled in Charleston in 1766, prospering in commercial venture, operating a store and merchant vessels. He was so successful that by 1777 that he retired from trade. He owned a house on East Bay Street, a dock, fifteen lots in Charleston, and thousands of acres on the Congaree River. Early in the Revolution, Gillon attached himself to the patriot cause. In 1778 he accepted command of the South Carolina navy. In 1780 he leased the frigate South Carolina from a French nobleman and set sail from Amsterdam. The ill-fated voyage ruined him financially and the ship was captured by the British. The resulting claims against the state out of Alexander Gillon’s brief command of the South Carolina were not settled until 1856.
“G” is for Gillon, Alexander (1741-1794)
