James Henry Hammond
Governor of South Carolina
Died when: 56 years 364 days (683 months)Star Sign: Scorpio
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James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was an attorney, politician, and planter from South Carolina.He served as a United States representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, and a United States senator from 1857 to 1860.
A slave owner, he is considered one of the strongest supporters of slavery in the years before the American Civil War.
Acquiring property through marriage, Hammond ultimately owned 22 square miles, several plantations and houses, and more than 300 enslaved people.Through his wife's family, he was a brother-in-law of Wade Hampton II and uncle to his children, including Wade Hampton III.
When the senior Hampton learned that Hammond had raped his four Hampton nieces as teenagers, he made the scandal public.
The publicizing of his crimes was initially thought to have derailed Hammond's career but he later was elected to the United States Senate.
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Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina