“M “is for Moses, Franklin J., Jr. (ca.1840 to 1906)

“M “is for Moses, Franklin J., Jr. (ca.1840 to 1906). Governor. Born in Sumter District, Moses was an enthusiastic secessionist. After the Civil War, Moses supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies. In 1868 he executed an abrupt political about face and joined the Republican Party. Elected to the S.C. House of Representatives, Moses was its speaker (1868-1872). As Speaker, he regularly accepted bribes to expedite the passage of legislation. In 1872, in spite of his notorious reputation for corruption, the Republican state convention nominated Moses for governor. He was easily elected and was arguably the most corrupt governor in South Carolina history. He sold hundreds of pardons and regularly diverted public money to personal use. After Reconstruction, Franklin J. Moses, Jr. left South Carolina and resided in northern cities where his remaining years were marked by dissolution, decline, and crime.