John Drayton II (June 22, 1766 – November 27, 1822) was

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

and a United States district judge 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, Charlest ...

Education and career

Born on June 22, 1766, in

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, Province of South Carolina,

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

, to William Henry Drayton and Dorothy Golightly, Drayton

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1788 at the Inner Temple in London, England. He engaged in private practice in Charleston, South Carolina in 1788, from 1789 to 1794, from 1796 to 1798, and from 1811 to 1812. He was a warden (assistant to the intendant) for Charleston starting in 1788. He was a rice planter in

Georgetown County Georgetown County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,404. Its county seat is Georgetown. The county was founded in 1769. It is named for George III of the United Kingdom. Georg ...

, South Carolina from 1794 to 1822. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1792 to 1796. He was

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond overseeing the Office on Aging and the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of th ...

from 1798 to 1800. He was

from 1801 to 1803, and from 1809 to 1810. He was the

Intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...

( Mayor) of Charleston from 1803 to 1805. He was a member of the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...

from 1805 to 1808. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.

Federal judicial service

Drayton was nominated by President James Madison on May 4, 1812, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Thomas Bee Thomas Bee (1739 – February 18, 1812) was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Educat ...

. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 7, 1812, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on November 27, 1822, due to his death in Charleston.

Notable case

Drayton issued perhaps the earliest judicial decision holding that, under the laws of the United States, slaves captured in time of war on enemy ships could not be claimed as property.

Personal life

Drayton married Mary Tidyman, daughter of Dr. Phillip Tidyman, on November 6, 1794.

Books

* ''Carolinian Florist'' * ''A View of South Carolina, as Respects Her Natural and Civil Concerns'' * ''Memoirs of the American Revolution from its Commencement to the Year 1776''

References

Further sources

* * *

External links

SCIway Biography of John Drayton

NGA Biography of John Drayton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drayton, John 1766 births 1822 deaths 18th-century American lawyers 18th-century American planters 19th-century American planters 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges Princeton University alumni University of South Carolina alumni Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of South Carolina Governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees South Carolina state senators Writers from South Carolina Drayton family Mayors of Charleston, South Carolina Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina United States federal judges appointed by James Madison South Carolina Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law