Henry William de Saussure

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Template:Infobox United State Mint official

Henry William De Saussure (August 16, 1763–March 26, 1839) was an American lawyer, state legislator and jurist from South Carolina who became a political leader as a member of the Federalist Party following the Revolutionary War. He was appointed by President George Washington as the 2nd Director of the United States Mint, was a co-sponsor of the legislation that established the South Carolina College which was to become the University of South Carolina and was given the title of Chancellor as a justice of the SC Equity Court, also known as chancery court. In this capacity he wrote and codified much of the state's equity law still in use today. He served as Intendant (Mayor) of both Charleston and Columbia, SC.

He was a principal investor in founding what was originally intended to be the city's Federalist leaning newspaper, the Charleston Courier in 1803. The newspaper still exists today as it was eventually merged with others to become The Post and Courier. As a sitting appellate court judge, his opinions on a variety of issues were widely published under a pseudonym, which was the custom then for public officials who wished to express their view away from the bench. His opinions were highly critical of the summary abridgement of rights of the accused during the Denmark Vessey trials, purportedly in the name of public safety. He and others like him suspected there was less substance to the charges of a conspiracy to organize a slave revolt than the public in Charleston was being led to believe.

He openly opposed Nullification along with other leading South Carolina. After the Federalist Party faded in the early 1820s, he was a voice for Unionist moderation before a rising tide States Rights supporters swept the stage of all others in South Carolina a generation later. Though deep political differences would eventually separate them, John C. Calhoun, studied law in the offices of DeSaussure and his partner Timothy Ford. DeSaussure College, one of the original buildings located on the Horseshoe at the center of the University of South Carolina campus in Columbia was named in his honor.

[edit] Early life

At the age of 16, together with his father Daniel de Saussure, he participated in the defense of the city during the 1780 Siege of Charleston. When the city surrendered to British forces, both were captured. Henry was detained on board a prison ship in Charleston Harbor but was later released to his mother's custody. His father was deemed to be more of a prize and sent to the British prisons at St. Augustine, Florida along with other leaders of the American rebellion captured in South Carolina. As a prominent merchant in the city, Daniel's properties in Charleston were also confiscated. His wife and children were then exiled to Philadelphia for the remainder of the American Revolution. The family was reunited at Philadelphia after Henry's father was released as part of a prisoner exchange following the surrender of British forces at Yorktown. Still occupied, Charleston and New York would remain in British hands for some time longer. Refugees and exiles were unable to return until after the withdrawal of British troops from those areas.

[edit] Education and marriage

While in Philadelphia young De Saussure attended Princeton College and studied law under Jared Ingersoll, a noted Philadelphia attorney who would later be an active participant in the Constitutional Convention and a leading proponent of the Federalist Party. Before returning to Charleston, De Saussure married Elizabeth Ford, the daughter of Jacob Ford of Morristown, New Jersey.

Henry & Eliza De Saussure had 12 children. Their second son, William F. De Saussure, was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the United States Senate in 1852. It was the same seat held by John C. Calhoun.

[edit] Additional reading

• Wallace, David Duncan (1969 origyear=1951). South Carolina: A Short History, 1520-1948. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 87249-079-3. 

Preceded by David Rittenhouse

2nd Director of the United States Mint 1795-1795

Succeeded by Elias Boudinot