“D” is for Drayton, William Henry (1721-1779)

“D” is for Drayton, William Henry (1721-1779). Revolutionary leader, planter. Born in St. Andrew’s Parish, Drayton attended Balliol College, Oxford. Returning home he opposed the non-importation association in a series of essays that resulted in his being ostracized politically, socially, and economically. In 1770 he sailed for England where he was seen as a supporter of the crown. He was rewarded with a seat on the South Carolina Royal Council. In 1774, in reaction to the Coercive Acts, Drayton published A Letter from Freeman that denied Parliament’s jurisdiction over the colonies. His outspoken views made him one of the most popular Whigs in the colony. Elected president of the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, William Henry Drayton was the first prominent Carolinian to openly call for the establishment of a new government and separation from Great Britain.