“B” is for Bonham, Milledge Luke (1813-1890)

“B” is for Bonham, Milledge Luke (1813-1890). Soldier, congressman, governor. Born in Edgefield District, Bonham graduated from South Carolina College. He was a major general in the state militia (1843-1852). In 1857 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was appointed commander in chief of the South Carolina army with the rank of major general in 1861. He later received an appointment in the Confederate Army but resigned his commission in 1862 over questions of seniority. Elected to the Confederate Congress, Bonham generally opposed the Davis administration. In 1862 he was elected governor of South Carolina. As governor he sought to strengthen the state laws on conscription, slave impressments, and desertion. He was a member of the Taxpayer’s Convention in 1871.  Milledge Luke Bonham became South Carolina's first railroad commissioner in 1878 and served until his death in 1890.