Edmund William McGregor Mackey

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Edmund William McGregor Mackey (March 8, 1846– January 27, 1884) was a United States Representative from South Carolina. Born in Charleston, he became a government employee after the end of the American Civil War. As an active Republican, he was nominated to be a delegate from Charleston for the constitutional convention of South Carolina in 1868. He was admitted to the bar in 1868 and practiced law in Charleston while also having the positions of sheriff and alderman.

Mackey was elected as a Republican to South Carolina House of Representatives in 1872, but ran successfully in 1874 as an Independent Republican for the Second Congressional District. However, the Forty-fourth Congress declared his seat vacant on July 19, 1876.

He was elected again to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1876 and claimed to be the Speaker after the disputed election of Democratic Representatives from Edgefield and Laurens counties. Following the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision to allow the admittance of the legislators from Edgefield and Laurens counties, Mackey and the Republican legislators occupied the South Carolina State House through the force of Federal troops and set up a shadow government. However, the order of President Hayes to remove the troops from South Carolina on April 10, 1877, resulted in the Republicans ending their struggle to control state government. The Democrats annulled the election of the representatives from Charleston County, including that of Edmund Mackey.

While serving as an assistant United States attorney for South Carolina from 1878 to 1881, Mackey attempted to win election as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He lost the election against Michael P. O’Connor for the 2nd congressional district in 1878 and failed to have the Democrat controlled House overturn the election. However, with a Republican takeover of the House for the 47th Congress, he succeeded in replacing Samuel Dibble for the seat. Reelected in 1882 from the Seventh Congressional District, he died during the term in Washington, D.C. on January 27, 1884.