Ralph Izard (January 23, 1741/1742May 30, 1804) was a U.S.

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He served as

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United S ...

in 1794, and owned slaves.

Early life

Izard was born at "The Elms" near

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. He was the son of Henry Izard and Margaret Johnson. His great-grandfather was Ralph Izard (1660–1710), who was born in Dorchester,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and settled in South Carolina. His maternal grandfather was

Province of South Carolina Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province 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 American colonies. The monar ...

Governor 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 ...

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

. Izard's parents died when he was a small child, and only one of his siblings survived to adulthood. He spent most of his childhood and youth studying in

: he attended a school in

Hackney, London Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Quee ...

, and matriculated as a fellow-commoner at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

. Izard returned to America in 1764, but did not remain in South Carolina for long. He was elected the American Society (later the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

) in 1768.

Career

He resided in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1771 and moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in 1776. He was appointed commissioner to the Court of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

by the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

in 1776, but was recalled in 1779. He returned to America in 1780 and pledged his large estate in

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 = ...

for the payment of war ships to be used in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. In 1788, he was elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1795, serving as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Third Congress.

Later life

Izard was one of the founders of the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

. Izard retired from public life to the care of his estates in 1795. Within two years of his retirement, he was stricken with an untreatable illness that paralyzed him on one side of his body.

Death and legacy

In 1767, Izard married Alice De Lancey, who was a niece of

James DeLancey James De Lancey (November 27, 1703 – July 30, 1760) served as chief justice, lieutenant governor, and acting colonial governor of the Province of New York. Early life and education De Lancey was born in New York City on November 27, 1 ...

and a descendant of

Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor' ...

and Gertrude Schuyler. After Izard moved to America in 1780 to focus on his work towards the American Revolution, his family stayed in France until 1783 when they joined him in South Carolina. Izard and his wife had fourteen children together, but only seven survived past early childhood, including:http://articles.westga.edu:2609/servlet/Sabin?dd=0&locID=carr52158&d1=SABCA04589100&srchtp=a&c=1&an=SABCA04589100&df=f&d2=14&docNum=CY3803265979&h2=1&vrsn=1.0&af=RN&d6=14&d3=14&ste=10&stp=Author&d4=0.5&d5=d6&ae=CY103265966 *

Ralph Izard Ralph Izard (January 23, 1741/1742May 30, 1804) was a U.S. politician. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1794, and owned slaves. Early life Izard was born at "The Elms" near Charleston, South Carolina. He was ...

, was a naval hero of Tripoli. The World War II USS ''Izard'' was named after him. In 1808, Izard married Eliza Pinckney, daughter of Major General

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American Founding Father, statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the United States Constit ...

, a signer of the Constitution, and a granddaughter of

Colonel Charles Pinckney Charles Pinckney (March 7, 1732 - September 22, 1782), also known as Colonel Charles Pinckney, was a prominent South Carolina lawyer and planter based in Charleston, South Carolina. Commissioned as a colonel for the Charles Towne Militia in the col ...

, chief justice of South Carolina. Ralph's wife was also a niece of

Arthur Middleton Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Life Middleton was b ...

. * Major General

George Izard George Izard (October 21, 1776 – November 22, 1828) was a senior officer of the United States Army who served as the second governor of Arkansas Territory from 1825 to 1828. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 18 ...

, was a

governor 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 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. * Anne Izard, who married William Allan Deas with whom they had a son, the painter,

Charles Deas Charles Deas (December 22, 1818 – March 23, 1867) was an American painter noted for his oil paintings of Native Americans and fur trappers of the mid-19th century. Biography Charles Deas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attempted, ...

. William's brother was Col. James Sutherland Deas who was the father of CS General Zachariah Cantey Deas * Charlotte Izard, who married William Loughton Smith, a son of S.C. Assemblyman Benjamin Smith; William L. Smith was also a brother-in-law of South Carolina Congressman

Isaac Motte Isaac Motte (December 8, 1738 – May 8, 1795) was an American soldier and statesman from Charleston, South Carolina. He served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War and represented South Carolina in the Continental Congress The Contine ...

. Izard died near Charleston on May 30, 1804, at the age of sixty-two. He is interred in the churchyard of St. James Goose Creek Episcopal Church, near Charleston.

Descendants

A great-grandson of Ralph Izard was

Charles Manigault Morris Charles Manigault Morris (May 7, 1820 – March 22, 1895) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy. Morris was a descendant of several of the most prominent Northern and Southern families in colonial Am ...

who was also a great-grandson of

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Contin ...

. A cousin of Charles Manigault Morris was General

Arthur Middleton Manigault Arthur Middleton Manigault (October 26, 1824 – August 17, 1886) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life and career Manigault was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824. His parents we ...

who was descended from Mary Izard-cousin of Ralph Izard. A cousin Sarah Izard married

Loyalist Governor

Lord William Campbell Lord William Campbell (11 July 1730 – 4 September 1778) was from a Scottish family loyal to the House of Hanover. His father was John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll. From 1752 to 1760, he served in the Royal Navy in India. In 1762, becaus ...

. A cousin twice removed was Elizabeth Izard who was a daughter-in-law of

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Thomas Pinckney Thomas Pinckney (October 23, 1750November 2, 1828) was an early American statesman, diplomat, and soldier in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, achieving the rank of major general. He served as Governor of South Carolina an ...

. One niece Elizabeth Izard married Alexander Wright (1751–?), a son of Loyalist

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

James Wright (governor) James Wright (8 May 1716 – 20 November 1785) was a colonial lawyer and jurist who was the last British Royal Governor of the Province of Georgia. He was the only Royal Governor of the Thirteen Colonies to regain control of his colony during ...

. File:Mr and Mrs Ralph Izard by John Singleton Copley 1775.jpeg, Ralph and Alice Izard by

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...

File:George Izard.jpg, Governor George Izard File:CharlesManigaultMorrisCSN.jpg, First Lieutenant

, CSN File:Arthur Manigault.jpg, General Arthur M. Manigault, CSA File:Edward Greene Malbone - Eliza Izard (Mrs. Thomas Pinckney, Jr.) - Google Art Project.jpg, Miniature of Elizabeth (Eliza) Izard [wife of Thomas Pinckey 1780-1842 son of General

) by Edward Greene Malbone

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Izard, Ralph 1740s births 1804 deaths Continental Congressmen from South Carolina 18th-century American politicians United States senators from South Carolina Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate American people of English descent American planters American slave owners People of South Carolina in the American Revolution Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge