Richard Hutson (July 9, 1748 – April 12, 1795) was a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

and an American lawyer, judge, politician, and planter from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. He was born in June 1747 to Rev. William Hutson and Mary Hutson (née Woodward). His family moved to Charleston in 1756 when his father was the pastor at the

Circular Congregational Church The Circular Congregational Church is a historic church building at 150 Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina, used by a congregation established in 1681. Its parish house, the Parish House of the Circular Congregational Church, is a highl ...

. After having been educated in Charleston as a child, he attended

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. In 1778 and 1779 he represented

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 ...

as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, where he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

. After the British captured Charleston in May 1780, he was held as a prisoner at

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

until July 1781. After he returned home, he served as the eighth

lieutenant governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of the lieutenant governor are chiefly ce ...

under Governor John Mathews in 1782 and 1783. On September 11, 1783, Hutson was elected the first intendant (mayor) of Charleston. He was re-elected on September 13, 1784, winning against Alexander Gillon by a vote of 387 to 127. After his time as intendant of Charleston, he was one of the first three chancellors of the Court of Equity of South Carolina. He is buried in a vault at the Independent Congregational (Circular) Churchyard in Charleston.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutson, Richard 1748 births 1795 deaths 18th-century mayors of places in South Carolina People from Beaufort County, South Carolina American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Continental Congressmen from South Carolina American slave owners Signers of the Articles of Confederation Princeton University alumni Mayors of Charleston, South Carolina Founding Fathers of the United States