Elias Horry (1773 – September 17, 1834) was a lawyer, politician, businessman and plantation owner who twice served in the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and t ...

as well as the intendant (mayor) of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, serving two terms from 1815 to 1817 and 1820 to 1821.

Early and family life

Horry was born in 1773 and received a private education suitable for his class. He joined

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American Founding Father, statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the United States Constit ...

's office as a law student. He married twice. In 1797 he married Harriet Vanderhorst, who bore three sons and two daughters before her death: Thomas Lynch Horry (1806–1871); Harriet Vanderhorst Horry Frost (1807–1890); Ann Branford Horry (1812–1824) and Elias Horry (1815–1817). The widower then married Mary R. Shubrick in 1817, who bore Alicia Mary Horry (1820–1826); Elias Horry (1822–1839); and Richard Shubrick Horry (1823–1824).

Career

In 1793, Horry was admitted to the South Carolina bar. He represented St. James, Santee, in the South Carolina General Assembly from 1794 to 1804. Horry was elected warden (city council member) in September 1813 before becoming the interim intendant (mayor) on March 30, 1815, after Thomas Rhett Smith resigned. On September 18, 1815, he was elected to a full term and then re-elected September 16, 1816, defeating Daniel Stevens. After four terms by two other mayors, Horry returned to the position, after having been elected on September 4, 1820 for one more term. Many years later, he again served in the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the Charleston area from 1830 to 1833. Horry owned several plantations which he operated using enslaved labor, including: The Bluff, Wattahan, Milldam, Jutland, Camp Main, Camp Island, Newland, Midland and Millbrook plantations (Santee River) in Georgetown District and St. James, Santee, Parish. Horry became president of the

South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company was a railroad in South Carolina that operated independently from 1830 to 1844. One of the first railroads in North America to be chartered and constructed, it provided the first steam-powered, schedu ...

in 1831.

Death and legacy

Horry died on September 17, 1834. He is buried at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul in Charleston, South Carolina. The

Branford-Horry House The Branford-Horry House is located at 59 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The house is unusual for its piazza, which extends over the public sidewalk. The three-stor ...

in which he was raised and later lived in Charleston was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970, and remains in private ownership.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horry, Elias Mayors of Charleston, South Carolina 1773 births 1834 deaths South Carolina lawyers Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers