William Aiken, Jr.

William Aiken, Jr.
61st Governor of South Carolina
In office December 7, 1844 – December 8, 1846
Lieutenant	J. F. Ervin
Preceded by	James Henry Hammond
Succeeded by	David Johnson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857
Preceded by	James L. Orr
Succeeded by	William P. Miles
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 6th district
In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853
Preceded by	Isaac E. Holmes
Succeeded by	William W. Boyce
Member of the South Carolina Senate from St. Philip's and St. Michael's Parish
In office November 28, 1842 – December 7, 1844
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from St. Philip's and St. Michael's Parish
In office November 26, 1838 – November 28, 1842
Personal details
Born	(1806-01-28)January 28, 1806 Charleston, South Carolina
Died	Flat Rock, North Carolina
Resting place	Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Harriet Lowndes Aiken
Profession	businessman, planter

William Aiken, Jr. (January 28, 1806 – September 6, 1887) was the 61st governor of South Carolina, serving from 1844 to 1846. He also served in the state legislature and the U. S. Congress, running unsuccessfully for Speaker of the House in 1856 in “the longest and most contentious Speaker election in House history.”

Early life

Aiken was the child of William Aiken, the first president of the pioneering South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. Unfortunately, William Sr. was killed in a Charleston carriage accident and never saw his namesake town of Aiken, South Carolina. Aiken graduated from the College of South Carolina (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1825 and engaged in agriculture as a planter, entering politics in 1837. He was a member of the State House of Representatives 1838-1842, and served in the State Senate 1842-1844. His term as governor ran from 1844 to 1846.

Congressional service

Subsequent to his service as governor, Aiken served in the U. S. House of Representatives for the Thirty-second, Thirty-third, and Thirty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857). In December, 1855, Aiken was a leading candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives. After two months and 133 ballots, Aiken lost the race to Nathaniel P. Banks by a vote of 103 to 100, in what has been termed the “the longest and most contentious Speaker election in House history”.

Personal life

Aiken was married to Harriet Lowndes Aiken. He was a successful businessman and planter and lived in Charleston, South Carolina. Aiken's first cousin, D. Wyatt Aiken served as a Confederate States Army officer and five-term U.S. Congressman. Aiken died at Flat Rock, NC, September 6, 1887, and was interred in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C. His house, the Aiken-Rhett House, is part of the Historic Charleston foundation.

External links

• SCIway Biography of William Aiken, Jr.
• NGA Biography of William Aiken, Jr.
• William Aiken, Jr. at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Political offices
Preceded by James Henry Hammond	Governor of South Carolina 1844–1846	Succeeded by David Johnson
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Isaac E. Holmes	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 6th congressional district 1851–1853	Succeeded by William Waters Boyce
Preceded by James Lawrence Orr	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1853–1857	Succeeded by William Porcher Miles