Miles Benjamin McSweeney (April 18, 1855September 29, 1909) was the
87th 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 ...
from June 2, 1899, to January 20, 1903.
McSweeney was born in
Charleston and was forced to become a
paperboy
A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ...
at the age of 10 in order to help support his family when his father died. He went to
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
to attend
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexingto ...
upon being awarded the Typographical Union of Charleston Scholarship, but later had to withdraw due to lack of funds. He published the ''Ninety-Six Guardian'' at the age of 22 and he moved to
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
two years later to start the ''Hampton County Guardian''.
In 1894, McSweeney 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 additionally served as the chairman of the
Hampton County
Hampton County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,561. Its county seat is Hampton. It was named for Confederate Civil War general Wade Hampton, who in the late 1870s, with ...
Democratic Party. He successfully ran for
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in 1896 and was elevated to the
governorship
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 ...
following the death of Governor
William Haselden Ellerbe on June 2, 1899. A proponent of the
state Dispensary and backed by Senator
Ben Tillman
Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. A white ...
, McSweeney won a term on his own in the
gubernatorial election of 1900. However, many in Hampton were in favor of prohibition and the ''Hampton County Guardian'' lost advertising revenue and subscriptions because of McSweeney's support of the Dispensary.
Upon the completion of his term as governor in 1903, McSweeney returned to Hampton and continued as editor of the ''Hampton County Guardian''. He died in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
on September 29, 1909, and was buried at Hampton Cemetery in Hampton.
External links
SCIway Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeneyNGA Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeneyHistory of the ''Hampton County Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McSweeney, Miles Benjamin
1855 births
1909 deaths
Washington and Lee University alumni
Democratic Party governors of South Carolina
University of South Carolina trustees
American newspaper founders
19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
American newspaper publishers (people)
Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Lieutenant Governors of South Carolina