Benjamin Guerard (1740December 21, 1788) was a lawyer, patriot of the Revolutionary War and the 34th

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 = ...

from 1783 to 1785.

Early life and career

Guerard was born in Charlestown to John Guerard and Elizabeth Hill. He was baptized on May 23, 1740;The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the Governors of South Carolina
/ref> his exact date of birth is unknown. He studied law in

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and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1761. Afterwards he practiced law in Charleston and was a member of the South Carolina Provincial Assembly from 1765 to 1768. In 1778, Guerard was elected to 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 ...

and served for one term. Guerard was married on November 29, 1766 to Sarah Middleton, who died with their son on a sea voyage to

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in 1775. He married a second time to Marianne Kennan on April 7, 1786 and the two did not have any children.

Revolutionary War

With the opening of the Southern theater in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Guerard enlisted in the militia and participated in the siege of Charleston by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1780. The colonists surrendered Charlestown on May 12, 1780 and Guerard became a prisoner, although he was paroled. A year later, Guerard was found in violation of his parole and jailed on the schooner ''Pack Horse''. He offered his estate to provide for the maintenance of the American prisoners, but the British refused this proposal because his land was in the territory controlled by the Americans. The British exiled him in 1781 to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and Guerard subsequently made his way back to South Carolina.

Political career

Guerard was elected later in 1781 to the South Carolina Senate from St. Helena's Parish and was appointed a commissioner for the state to negotiate an agreement between the British and American forces to prevent plunder and maintain order from the evacuation of British troops from the state. He returned as a member to the House of Representatives in 1783 for a brief period until his election by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

as Governor of South Carolina for a two-year term. While governor, he came into dispute with General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

regarding the reception of the British Governor of

East Florida East Florida ( es, Florida Oriental) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of Spanish Florida from 1783 to 1821. Great Britain gained control of the long-established Spanish colony of ''La Florida'' in 1763 as part of ...

Patrick Tonyn Patrick Tonyn (1725–1804) was a British General who served as the last British governor of East Florida, from 1774 to 1783. His governorship lasted the span of the American Revolution. East Florida was a Loyalist colony during the war. Ear ...

Later life

After leaving the governorship in 1785, Guerard remained in Charleston where he died on December 21, 1788.

References

* ;Notes

External links

SCIway Biography of Benjamin Guerard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerard, Benjamin 1740 births 1788 deaths Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina South Carolina lawyers South Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives South Carolina state senators Governors of South Carolina People of South Carolina in the American Revolution South Carolina colonial people Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina 18th-century American politicians