"G" is for Gaillard, John (1765-1826).

"G" is for Gaillard, John (1765-1826). U.S. senator. A native South Carolinian, Gaillard went to England with his family during the American Revolution. He studied law, but opted to return to South Carolina and become a planter. From 1794-1804 he represented St. Stephen’s Parish in the General Assembly—as state representative and senator. In 1804 the legislature elected him U.S. Senator and he served continuously until his death. Politically, he was a Democratic-Republican and supporter of the Jefferson and Madison administrations. Following the War of 1812, however, he followed other Carolinians in retreating toward a more states’-rights position on such matters as the tariff. In an era of controversy, John Gaillard was one of the few national political figures that appeared to his colleagues in the U.S. Senate to be above the fray—a statesman.