David Rogerson Williams (March 8, 1776November 17, 1830) was a representative in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

and the 45th

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

from 1814 to 1816.

Early life and career

Born in Darlington County in the

Province of South Carolina The Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies i ...

, Williams was educated at schools in

Wrentham, Massachusetts Wrentham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,178 at the 2020 census. History In 1660, five men from Dedham were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to th ...

, and attended

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until he withdrew in 1795. Nonetheless, after studying law he was admitted to the bar in 1797 and he practiced law in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, for three years. Williams returned to South Carolina and became an editor of the Republican papers ''City Gazette'' and ''Weekly Carolina Gazette'' of Charleston. In 1803, Williams moved to Darlington County to engage in cotton planting and various manufacturing enterprises.

Political career

Williams was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 1804 from the 3rd congressional district as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

. In general, Williams was a political maverick who stressed the need for

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while also having greater accountability to the voters. When Williams first arrived in

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, he was offered to have dinner with President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, but Williams refused because he felt that it might interfere with his independence of mind. To let the voters know how their money was being spent, Williams requested an itemization of

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rather than a lump sum, but the House voted against an itemization. As an ardent Nationalist, Williams left the House in 1813 to participate in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and was appointed by President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

as a brigadier general in the

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. He resigned in 1814 because of personal reasons, but, despite not running for office or being present during the election, was elected later that year as

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 ...

for a two-year term by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

Later life and career

After leaving the governorship in 1816, Williams returned to Darlington County to resume his planting and manufacturing operations. He was elected in 1824 to the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina State 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 ...

and served until his accidental death while superintending the construction of a bridge over Lynchs Creek on November 17, 1830. Williams was interred on Plumfield Plantation near

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center ...

References

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External links

SCIway Biography of David Rogerson WilliamsNGA Biography of David Rogerson WilliamsUnited States Congress Biography of David Rogerson Williams

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, David Rogerson 1776 births 1830 deaths 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Brown University alumni Governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees South Carolina state senators Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States People from Darlington County, South Carolina United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Brigadier generals 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly