Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney
36th Governor of South Carolina
In office 1787–1789
Lieutenant	Thomas Gadsden
Preceded by	William Moultrie
Succeeded by	Charles Pinckney
South Carolina Representative
In office 1791–1792
Governor	Charles Pinckney
United States Ambassador to Great Britain
In office 1792–1796
President	George Washington
Preceded by	John Adams
Succeeded by	Rufus King
U.S. Representatives
In office November 1797 – March 1801
Preceded by	William L. Smith
Born	October 23, 1750 Charleston, South Carolina
Died	November 2, 1828 (aged 78) Charleston, South Carolina
Political party	Federalist
Alma mater	Westminster School and Oxford University)
Profession	Farming
Military service
Allegiance	Patriot
Service/branch	Continental Army, United States Army
Years of service	1775-1783, War of 1812
Rank	captain, major general
Unit	1st South Carolina Regiment
Battles/wars	Battle of Camden

Thomas Pinckney (October 23, 1750 – November 2, 1828) was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Early life in the military

Pinckney was born in Charleston, South Carolina, where his father, Charles Pinckney, was a prominent colonial official. When Pinckney was 3, his father brought the family to Great Britain on colonial business, and after his father's death in 1758, Pinckney continued his education in Great Britain (at Westminster and Oxford University) and France. He returned to South Carolina in 1774 and became an ardent Patriot in the American Revolution. In 1775 he was commissioned as captain in the 1st South Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army. After seeing much action, he became an aide-de-camp to General Horatio Gates, and was captured by the British at the disastrous Battle of Camden in 1780. After recovering from his wounds, he was released in a prisoner exchange. In 1781 he fought under Lafayette in Virginia.

Postbellum and politics

After the war, Pinckney spent some years running his plantations before he returned to politics. Pinckney was the 36th Governor of South Carolina from 1787 to 1789, most notably presiding over the state convention that ratified the new U.S. Constitution, and then served in the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1791. He was appointed by President George Washington to be the U.S. minister (ambassador) to Great Britain in 1792. While there, he was unable to get British concessions on issues such as impressment or the Northwest frontier forts, so that Washington sent John Jay as a special envoy to negotiate the controversial Jay Treaty. For part of his tenure (1794-1795) as ambassador in Britain, Pinckney also served as Envoy Extraordinary to Spain. He arranged the Treaty of San Lorenzo, also known as Pinckney's Treaty, with Spain in 1795.

Pinckney's diplomatic success with Spain made him popular at home, and on his return the Federalist party made him a candidate in the 1796 presidential election (as the intended running-mate of John Adams). While Adams won the presidential election, complicated scheming to ensure that Pinckney would have more presidential votes than Adams ended up making their opponent Thomas Jefferson vice-president and Pinckey come in third place in the presidential race. (At the time, there were no distinct electoral votes for President and Vice-President.)

Pinckney was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William L. Smith, and he served from November 1797 to March 1801. While in Congress, Pinckney served as one of the managers appointed by the House in 1798 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against William Blount.

Pinckney served as a major general in the United States Army during the War of 1812. His last public role before his death in Charleston was as president general of the Society of the Cincinnati (1825-1828).

Death and legacy

Pinckney died in Charleston, South Carolina and is interred in St. Philip’s Churchyard.

Pinckneyville, Georgia was named after Thomas Pinckney after he traveled through the area. That town no longer exists, as its residents left to found the nearby Norcross. Pinckneyville is the name of a Middle School in the Norcross area.

Family

His brother Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and his cousin Charles Pinckney were signers of the United States Constitution.

He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Motte and second to her sister, Frances, the widow of John Middleton, a cousin of Arthur Middleton.

His elder son, Thomas, Jr., was married to Elizabeth Izard, a cousin twice removed of South Carolina Congressman Ralph Izard.

His younger son, the younger Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, married Phoebe Elliott, a daughter of a South Carolina State Representative, William Elliott, and Phoebe Waight.

References

• Purcell, L. Edward. Who Was Who in the American Revolution. New York: Facts on File, 1993. ISBN 0-8160-2107-4. For details on military service.
• Southwick, Leslie. Presidential Also-Rans and Running Mates, 1788-1996. McFarland & Company, 1998. ISBN 0-7864-0310-1.

External links

• Congressional biography of Thomas Pinckney
• SCIway Biography of Thomas Pinckney
• NGA Biography of Thomas Pinckney
• NNDB

Political offices
Preceded by William Moultrie	Governor of South Carolina 1787 – 1789	Succeeded by Charles Pinckney
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Adams	U.S. Minister to Great Britain 1792 – 1796	Succeeded by Rufus King
Party political offices
Preceded by John Adams(1)	Federalist Party vice presidential candidate 1796 (lost)(1)	Succeeded by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney(1)
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by William L. Smith	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina 1797 – 1801	Succeeded by Thomas Lowndes
Notes and references
1. Technically, Adams in 1792, Thomas Pinckney in 1796, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney in 1800 were all presidential candidates. Prior to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, each presidential elector would cast two ballots; the highest vote-getter would become President and the runner-up would become Vice President. Thus, in 1792, with George Washington as the prohibitive favorite for President, the Federalist party fielded Adams as a presidential candidate, with the intention that he be elected to the Vice Presidency. Similarly, in 1796 and 1800, the Federalist party fielded two candidates, Adams and Thomas Pinckney in 1796 and Adams and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney in 1800, with the intention that Adams be elected President and either Pinckney be elected Vice President.