Andrew Gordon Magrath (February 8, 1813 – April 9, 1893) was the last Governor of South Carolina under the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charle ...

and a Confederate District Judge for the District of South Carolina.

Education and career

Born on February 8, 1813, in Charleston,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Magrath received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1831 from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina), attended Harvard Law School and read law with James L. Petigru in 1835. He entered private practice in Charleston from 1835 to 1839, in 1841, and from 1843 to 1856. He was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

in 1840, and 1842. Magrath was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Federal judicial service

Magrath was nominated by President Franklin Pierce on May 9, 1856, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Robert Budd Gilchrist. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on May 12, 1856, and received his commission the same day. Magrath's service was notable for his strongly proslavery decisions. In the trial of William C. Corrie for his ownership of the slave vessel ''Wanderer'' in 1858, Magrath rewrote the law from the bench by announcing that bringing enslaved people from Africa was not a crime if they had been enslaved prior to their purchase. His service terminated on November 7, 1860, due to his resignation.

Resignation address

:In the political history of the United States, an event has happened of ominous import to fifteen slaveholding States. The State of which we are citizens has been always understood to have to have deliberately fixed its purpose whenever that event should happen. Feeling an assurance of what will be the action of the State, I consider it my duty, without delay, to prepare to obey its wishes. That preparation is made by the resignation of the office I have held. For the last time, I have, as a Judge of the United States, administered the laws of the United States, within the limits of the State of South Carolina. While thus acting in obedience to a sense of duty, I cannot be indifferent to the emotions it must produce. That department of Government which. I believe, has best maintained its integrity and preserved its purity, has been suspended. So far as I am concerned, the Temple of Justice, raised under the Constitution of the United States, is now closed. If it shall be never again opened, I thank God that its doors have been closed before its altar has been desecrated with sacrifices to tyranny.

Confederate service

Magrath was a member of South Carolina's succession convention in 1860, and was the first speaker at the signing ceremony. He was the

Secretary of State of South Carolina The secretary of state of South Carolina is an elected position that is responsible to maintain clear records of statewide corporations, supply to the public with customer service, and administrate the Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act. Since ...

from 1860 to 1861. He was a Judge of the Confederate District Court for the District of South Carolina from 1861 to 1864. He was elected on December 18, 1864, as the last Governor of South Carolina under the

, serving from December 20, 1864, to May 25, 1865, when he was deposed by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

and imprisoned at

Fort Pulaski A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Magrath was the final governor to be elected by a secret ballot of the State Legislature, with gubernatorial selection being changed to popular election. He served a partial term until he was overthrown and imprisoned by the Union Army.

Later career and death

After his release from prison in December 1865, Magrath resumed private practice in Charleston from 1865 to 1893. He died on April 9, 1893, in Charleston. He was interred at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magrath, Andrew Gordon 1813 births 1893 deaths University of South Carolina alumni Harvard Law School alumni South Carolina lawyers Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina United States federal judges appointed by Franklin Pierce 19th-century American judges People of South Carolina in the American Civil War Democratic Party governors of South Carolina Judges of the Confederate States of America Confederate States of America state governors 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials at Magnolia Cemetery (Charleston, South Carolina)