Ezekiel Pickens (March 30, 1768 – May 22, 1813) was an American lawyer and politician; he served as the Lieutenant Governor of

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 1802 to 1804. Pickens was the second of twelve children of General Andrew Pickens (1739-1817) and his wife Rebecca (Calhoun). Ezekiel was born at the family home near

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

, South Carolina; the family moved to the Hopewell plantation by 1785 (near the modern site of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

), where Ezekiel was tutored in preparation for college. Pickens graduated third in his class at

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

in 1790 and gave the valedictorian's address. Returning to South Carolina, Pickens studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1793. A member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he represented the Pendleton District in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1791-4 and St. Thomas and St. Denis parishes in 1801 and 1802. Pickens served as lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 1802 to 1804 under governor James Burchill Richardson.

Family

Pickens' family were land speculators and leaders of the western South Carolina settlers. His father Andrew was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and was a United States Representative from 1793-5. His younger brother Andrew Pickens was governor from 1816 to 1818. His aunt Floride Bonneau (~1761-1836) married

John E. Colhoun John Ewing Colhoun (1749October 26, 1802) was a United States Senator and lawyer from South Carolina. Colhoun, was born in Staunton, Virginia where he attended common schools before graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton Unive ...

, a long-time member of the South Carolina House who served as a US Senator from 1801 until his death in 1802. Their daughter Floride Bonneau Colhoun (Ezekiel Picken's first cousin) married John C. Calhoun, Vice President from 1825-1832. Ezekiel married Elizabeth Bonneau (1764-about 1806). Their children were Judge Ezekiel Pickens (1794-1860), Elizabeth Bonneau Pickens (1797-1834) (wife of Governor

Patrick Noble Patrick Noble (1787April 7, 1840) was the List of Governors of South Carolina, 57th Governor of South Carolina, Governor of South Carolina from 1838 until his death in 1840. Early life and career Born in McCormick County, South Carolina, Abbevi ...

), Andrew Pickens (1799-1801), and Samuel Bonneau Pickens (1801-1851). Elizabeth Bonneau died sometime after Samuel's birth and Ezekiel remarried to Elizabeth Barksdale (1782-1859), daughter of a wealthy coastal rice planter. Their children were twins Col. Thomas Jones Pickens and Martha Barksdale Pickens, born in 1808, and Major Andrew Calhoun Pickens, born 1810. He was a great-great-grandfather of businessman

T. Boone Pickens Thomas Boone Pickens Jr. (May 22, 1928 – September 11, 2019) was an American business magnate and financier. Pickens chaired the hedge fund BP Capital Management. He was a well-known takeover operator and corporate raider during the 1980 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickens, Ezekiel 1768 births 1813 deaths People from Abbeville, South Carolina Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of South Carolina South Carolina Democratic-Republicans Princeton University alumni