“M” is for Memminger, Christopher Gustavus (1803-1888). Lawyer, politician. A native of Germany, Memminger’s family immigrated to South Carolina when he was a child. When he was four, his parents died and he was placed in the Charleston Orphan House. He was adopted by future governor Thomas Bennett. After graduating from the South Carolina College, he became a lawyer and entered politics. From 1836 until 1860 he served in the S.C. House of Representatives almost continuously. With secession he chaired the committee that drafted a constitution for the Confederacy. In 1861 he was named the Confederacy’s Secretary of the Treasury. It was a position in which Memminger had enormous difficulties, some of which were beyond his control. He was disliked by military officers. With inflation spiraling out of control Christopher Gustavus Memminger resigned his office in June 1864.
“M” is for Memminger, Christopher Gustavus (1803-1888)
