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.

Early life and education

Born in Charleston, McSweeney's father died when he was four years old. He started working at a young age to help support his family, as 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 cen ...

and a clerk in a bookstore. He became corresponding secretary of the Columbia Typographical Union. He studied at evening school and earned the Typographical Union of Charleston Scholarship to attend

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, but later had to withdraw due to lack of funds.

Career

McSweeney served in the state militia with the rank of major, and was later promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 1877, he started publishing the ''Ninety-Six Guardian'' at the age of 22, and moved to Hampton 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, seatin ...

and additionally served as the chairman of the Hampton County 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 following the death of Governor William Haselden Ellerbe on June 2, 1899. A proponent of the state Dispensary and backed by Senator Ben Tillman, McSweeney won a term on his own in the gubernatorial election of 1900. However, many in Hampton were in favor of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

and the ''Hampton County Guardian'' lost advertising revenue and subscriptions because of McSweeney's support of the Dispensary.

Later life

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 Charleston on September 29, 1909, and was buried at Hampton Cemetery in Hampton.

References

External links

SCIway Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeney

NGA Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeney

History of the ''Hampton County Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McSweeney, Miles Benjamin 1855 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century South Carolina politicians Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Washington and Lee University alumni Democratic Party governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees American newspaper founders Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Lieutenant governors of South Carolina 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly