“R” is for Richardson, James Burchell (1770-1836). Governor. Born in St. Mark’s Parish, Richardson was elected by Clarendon County in 1792 to the SC House of Representatives. He remained in the General Assembly until 1802 when he was elected governor. Richardson became the first backcountry resident—indeed the first non-Charlestonian—to hold the office. A Democratic-Republican with an ear to his inland constituents, he turned his attention to demands from interior districts to reopen the slave trade. Since 1787 South Carolina had banned the foreign slave trade, but the spread of cotton into the backcountry created a clamor for enslaved labor. During his tenure, Richardson also supported backcountry demands for increased representation in the legislature. As soon as James Burchill Richardson left the governorship, the voters of Sumter District elected him to the General Assembly.
“R” is for Richardson, James Burchell (1770-1836)
