Edward Rutledge

Edward Rutledge
Edward Rutledge
In office December 18, 1798 – January 23, 1800
Preceded by	Charles Pinckney
Succeeded by	John Drayton
Born	November 23 1749(1749-11-23) Charleston, South Carolina
Died	January 23 1800 (aged 50) Charleston, South Carolina
Political party	Federalist
Spouse	Henrietta Middleton, Mary Shubrick Eveleigh
Signature

Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800), South Carolina statesman, at the age of 26 was the youngest of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of South Carolina.

Although a firm supporter of colonial rights, he was initially reluctant to support independence from Great Britain, hoping instead for reconciliation with the mother country. Like other Southern planters, Rutledge did not want the American Revolution to change the basic social structure of the South. He worked to have African-Americans expelled from the Continental Army, and led the successful effort to have Jefferson’s condemnation of slavery removed from the Declaration of Independence.

He is generally held responsible for the postponement of the vote on the resolution of independence, he is also given the major credit for the decision of the South Carolina delegation to go along with the others on July 2 for the sake on unanimity.[1]

Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1776; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; was a delegate to the first provincial congress in 1775 and to the second provincial congress 1775-1776; appointed a member of the first board of war in June 1776; member of the general assembly in 1778; elected a Member of the Continental Congress in 1779 but did not take his seat

Early years and career

Edward was the youngest son of Doctor John Rutledge, who emigrated from Ireland to South Carolina, around 1735. His mother was Sarah Hext. The couple had five sons and two daughters. At the age of twenty-seven Sarah became a widow with seven children when Edward was about one year old.

Born in Charleston he followed in two of his older brother's John Rutledge and Hugh Rutledge) footsteps by going to study law at Oxford University, where he was admitted to the English bar (Middle Temple), and returned to Charleston to practice.

His mother gave him a 640-acre plantation in St. Helena Parish that had been her father's and thus enabled him to meet the property qualification for election to the Commons House of Assembly. He subsequently built a home in Charleston across the street from the house of his brothers John and Hugh.

Rutledge established a successful law practice with his partner, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. In 1773, during his first year of practice on his return to Charleston, he won Whig acclaim by obtaining the release of newspaper publisher Thomas Powell, who had been imprisoned by the British for printing an article critical of the Loyalist upper house of the colonial legislature. The next year, the grateful Whigs named Rutledge as one of five Delegates to the First Continental Congress.[2]

In 1774, Henry Middleton, one of South Carolina's richest planters consented to Edward marrying his eldest daughter, Henrietta. They would have three children. He became a leading citizen of Charleston, and owned more than 50 slaves.

American Revolution

Along with his brother John, Rutledge represented South Carolina in the Continental Congress. Although a firm supporter of colonial rights, he was initially reluctant to support independence from Great Britain, hoping instead for reconciliation with the mother country. Like other Southern planters, Rutledge did not want the American Revolution to change the basic social structure of the South. He worked to have African Americans expelled from the Continental Army, and led the successful effort to have wording removed from the Declaration of Independence that condemned slavery and the slave trade. Nevertheless, he signed the Declaration for the sake of unanimity, and at age 26 was the youngest to sign.

Members of the plantation aristocracy entered prominently into public life at an amazingly early age, and young Rutledge was a member of congress before he was twenty-five. However, he did not make too favorable an impression at this first meeting. He excited the scorn of John Adams, never an admirer of the South Carolinians, who wrote in his diary "Young Ned Rutledge is a perfect Bob-o-Lincoln—a swallow, a sparrow, a peacock; excessively vain, excessively weak, and excessively variable and unsteady; jejeune, inane, and puerile."[3]

By June 1776 at the Second Congress, Rutledge, although opposed to independence, gained strength and recognition as one of the more influential members of congress and was selected to sit on the important War and Ordinance Committee. His motions against independence were endless. While he did his best to delay the vote for independence, he is generally held responsible for the postponement of the vote on the resolution of independence, he is also given the major credit for the decision of the South Carolina delegation to go along with the others on July 2 for the sake on unanimity.

He took leave of Congress in November of 1776 to join the defense of his colony. He was a member of the Charleston Battalion of Artillery, engaged in several important battles, and attained the rank of Captain. He fought in the Battle of Beaufort in 1779 and then the colonial legislature sent him back to Congress in 1779 to fill a vacancy. Although he was re-elected to Congress, he did not get back to Philadelphia. in 1780 when the British conducted a third invasion of South Carolina He resumed his post as Captain in the defense of Charleston,. Along with his brother-in-law Arthur Middleton, Rutledge was captured when Charleston fell and was imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida. He was held prisoner until July of 1781.

After his release he returned to the state assembly, where he served until 1796. He was known as an active member and an advocate for the confiscation of Loyalist property. He served in the state senate for two years, then was elected governor in 1798. He died before the end of his term. Some said at the time that he died from apoplexy resulting from hearing the news of George Washington's death.

In 1782 he returned to the legislature of his native state, where he served until 1796. He was a very active member, intent on the prosecution of British Loyalists. At times he served on as many nineteen committees. He also served as an elector, in 1788, 1792, and in 1796 when, despite his avowed allegiance to the Federalist party, he voted for Thomas Jefferson. He was then elected to the state Senate, twice, and in 1789 was elected Governor. This would be his last office.

author of the act abolishing the law of primogeniture in 1791; was tendered the appointment of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1794 by President Washington, but did not accept;

Rutledge is standing on the far right in John Trumbull's famous painting The Declaration of Independence.

Family

Rutledge married the wealthy daughter of Henry Middleton (who also signed the Declaration?), Henrietta, and subsequently built a home across the street from the house of his brothers John and Hugh.

Mr. Rutledge married the daughter of Henry Middleton, by whom he left a son, Major Henry M. Rutledge, of Tennessee; and a daughter. Upon the death of his first wife, he married the widow of Nicholas Eveleigh, Mary Shubrick Eveleigh, comptroller of the treasury of the United States, in the time of Washington's administration.

Legacy

The Edward Rutledge House in Charleston

After the American Civil War, the Edward Rutledge House was acquired by Captain Wagener, a wealthy merchant, who helped renovate the mansion during Reconstruction in the South. During the Depression of the 1930's, the house fell into some disrepair and was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Charleston. The current owners acquired the home from a prominent Charleston family in 1998.

Edward Rutledge occupies a unique and celebrated place in American history. In recognition of this fact, his former Charleston residence, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1971 it was declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Today, the elegant Governor's House Inn is a historic Charleston SC bed and breakfast.

Rutledge was a main character in the musical play 1776, in which he sings the song "Molasses to Rum to Slaves" about slavery and the Triangle Trade. He was portrayed by Clifford David in the original Broadway production and John Cullum in the 1972 film. In the 2008 miniseries John Adams, Rutledge was portrayed by Clancy O'Connor.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Williams, Patrick G.. "Rutledge, Edward." American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000.

External links

• Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856
• SCIway Biography of Edward Rutledge
• John & Edward Rutledge of South Carolina
• NGA Biography of Edward Rutledge
• Biographies of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
• Find a Grave

Preceded by: Charles Pinckney

Governor of South Carolina 1798 – 1800

Succeeded by: John Drayton

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