“L” is for Lowndes, Rawlins (1721-1800)

“L” is for Lowndes, Rawlins (1721-1800). Jurist, governor. Lowndes was born on Saint Kitts in the West Indies, but his family migrated to South Carolina in 1730. In 1745 he became provost marshal, the chief law enforcement officer of the colony. He was first elected to the Commons House of Assembly in 1749 and served in that body for almost every session until the end of royal government. In 1763 Lowndes was elected speaker of the Commons House where he defended the assembly's prerogatives against encroachments from royal governors, the upper house, and the ministry in England. In 1766 he was appointed assistant judge, a position he held for six years. A reluctant revolutionary, Lowndes hoped for an accommodation between the colonies and Britain. In March 1778 Rawlins Lowndes was elected governor of South Carolina.