| Rawlins Lowndes | |
|---|---|
| 32nd Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office March 6, 1778 – January 9, 1779 |
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| Preceded by | John Rutledge |
| Succeeded by | John Rutledge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 6, 1721 St. Kitts, British West Indies |
| Died | August 24, 1800 (aged 79) Charleston, South Carolina |
Rawlins Lowndes (January 6, 1721 – August 24, 1800) was an American lawyer and politician from South Carolina. His sons, Thomas and William Lowndes, both served in the U.S. Congress.
Lowndes was born on the island of St. Kitts in the British West Indies in January 1721.
At the young age of 21, Lowndes was appointed as the Provost-Marshall of South Carolina. He served in this role for ten years, from 1742 to 1752. Lowndes was first elected to the Royal Assembly, the colonial legislature, in 1749. During his years as a South Carolina political leader, Lowndes was a guiding force in South Carolina’s revolutionary government. He was a member of the First and Second Provincial Congresses, the First and Second General Assemblies, and the First and Second Councils of Safety. In 1776, Lowndes was one of eleven committee members charged with the responsibility of writing a draft constitution for South Carolina.
Despite his involvement in challenging increasingly harsh British measures leading up to the American Revolution, Lowndes opposed armed rebellion and independence from Britain.
The South Carolina General Assembly elected Lowndes the chief executive of South Carolina on March 7, 1778. Lowndes, as President of South Carolina, approved major changes to the state constitution on March 19, 1778. The first changed the title of South Carolina’s chief executive office from president to governor. The three major changes removed the governor’s power to veto legislation,[1] created a Senate elected via popular election, and disestablished the Church of England in South Carolina.
After serving as President of South Carolina, Lowndes was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1787 and represented the parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael until 1790. During the same period, he was intendant (mayor) of Charleston, from September 1788 to September 1789.
Lowndes died in Charleston, South Carolina, on August 24, 1800.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Rutledge |
Governor of South Carolina 1778 – 1779 |
Succeeded by John Rutledge |
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