William Mayrant (March 8, 1765January 23, 1832Find a Grav

Retrieved on May 27, 2009.) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from

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 = ...

. William Mayrant was elected in 1814 as a

Democratic-Republican 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 ...

to the

Fourteenth Congress The 14th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

and served until his resignation on October 21, 1816 (March 4, 1815-October 21, 1816). He was elected to his first and only term as a member of the US House of Representatives, from his home at Stateburg, near what is now Sumter, SC. He represented

South Carolina's 9th congressional district The 9th congressional district of South Carolina was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " ...

. Mayrant voted in favor of the

Tariff of 1816 The Tariff of 1816, also known as the Dallas Tariff, is notable as the first tariff passed by Congress with an explicit function of Protectionism in the United States, protecting U.S. manufactured items from overseas competition. Prior to the W ...

, which most southerners opposed because they believed it placed them at a financial disadvantage by unfairly raising prices on northern and European made finished goods, while lowering the price of southern raw materials, especially cotton. As a result of this vote, Mayrant lost his 1816 bid for reelection. He resigned before the completion of his first term. Though his name was placed on the ballot again for the election of 1816, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. Mayrant was succeeded by Nullifier

Stephen Decatur Miller Stephen Decatur Miller (May 8, 1787March 8, 1838) was an American politician, who served as the 52nd Governor of South Carolina from 1828 to 1830. He represented South Carolina as a U.S. Representative from 1817 to 1819, and as a U.S. Senator fro ...

, who advocated tariff repeal. After leaving Congress, Mayrant returned to his business and plantation interests. He also served as member of 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 ...

from 1818 to 1821. Born at Charleston, to a prominent family from South Carolina, William Woodrop Mayrant was the son of John Mayrant and Ann Woodruff or Woodrup. Soon after the American Revolution, Mayrant studied law and became an attorney. He was a successful businessman and plantation owner, with interests in rice farming and one of South Carolina's first textile factories. Mayrant held the rank of Colonel in the South Carolina militia. After his 1787 marriage to Ann Richardson Mayrant (1771-1840) he established a Stateburg home he called "Ararat" which subsequent owners renamed "Argyle House". He later owned and operated a plantation called "High Hills". William Mayrant died in 1832 and was buried at Church of the Holy Cross, near his home in Stateburg, Sumter County, SC.

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