William McWillie (November 17, 1795 – March 3, 1869) was the twenty-second

governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

from 1857 to 1859. He was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Biography

He was born near Liberty Hill,

Kershaw County, South Carolina Kershaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 65,403. The county seat and largest community is Camden. The county was created in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, F ...

, on November 17, 1795. His father

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Adam McWillie was in command of the 2nd Regiment SC militia during 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 William served as an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

in his father's regiment in the war. McWillie graduated from South Carolina College (now the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

) in 1817. He then began the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1818. He was married to Nancy Cunningham (1799-1827) and Catherine Anderson (1812–1873), daughter of Dr. Edward H. Anderson of Camden,

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 ...

, and granddaughter of a noted officer of the

Maryland Line The "Maryland Line" was a formation within the Continental Army, formed and authorized by the Second Continental Congress, meeting in the "Old Pennsylvania State House" (later known as "Independence Hall") in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in June 1 ...

. Between 1836 and 1840, he served in both 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 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 ...

. In 1845 he moved to Mississippi. He 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 1849, serving from December 3, 1849 to March 3, 1851. In 1858 he became Governor of Mississippi, serving until 1860. McWillie died in Kirkwood,

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,145. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for Founding Father and U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is pa ...

, on March 3, 1869. He is buried in Kirkwood Cemetery, near

Camden, Mississippi Camden is an unincorporated community located on Mississippi Highway 17 in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. Camden is located approximately northeast of Sharon and is located within the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Alth ...

, the town he founded and named for his hometown of

Camden, South Carolina Camden is the largest city in and the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census, and the 2022 population estimate is 8,213. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolita ...

. His son

Adam McWillie Adam McWillie (November 7, 1821 – July 21, 1861) was a military Captain (United States O-3), captain in the Mexican–American War and also one for the Confederate States Army, Confederacy in the American Civil War. Biography McWillie, born ...

(1821 to 1861) was killed in the Civil War during the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McWillie, William 1795 births 1869 deaths University of South Carolina alumni People from Kershaw County, South Carolina People from Madison County, Mississippi South Carolina lawyers Mississippi lawyers Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party South Carolina state senators Democratic Party governors of Mississippi Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly