A native of Beaufort, Elliott was educated at Beaufort College and Harvard College. He was known as one of the South’s most scientific planters. He wrote articles for the Southern Agriculturist and was notable for his studies in seed election and for his promotion of diversification in southern agriculture. In politics he opposed nullification and was a staunch Unionist. In 1855 Elliott represented South Carolina at the Paris Exposition where he delivered a speech in French on Sea Island cotton. He was a frequent contributor to the Southern Quarterly Review. In 1846 William Elliott, III, published Carolina Sports by Land and Water, a compilation of essays on lowcountry hunting and fishing that has become a classic of the American outdoor genre that still remains in print.
“E” is for Elliott, William III (1788-1863)
