05/17/2026
South Carolina delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence
Continuing our series on the delegations who signed the Declaration of Independence, let's look at the men from South Carolina. Selected by the colony's elite, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge were all rich men from the planter class. All four were educated in England at prestigious colleges. While they were eager to turn against British tyranny and were offended by the way the way the upper-class British looked down on colonials, the South Carolina delegation was considered moderate. Fearing war and retribution, they voted against independence on July 1. However, seeing the inevitable, on the critical vote on July 2, 1776, they voted for independence.
After signing the Declaration of Independence, Lynch suffered a series of illnesses. Hoping a change in climate would help, he set off on a sea voyage in 1779. The ship disappeared and Lynch was declared lost at sea. In May 1780, after the British captured the city of Charleston, Rutledge, Heyward, Middleton, and other patriot politicians were captured and then imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida until July 1781. Rutledge, the youngest signer, remained active in politics and became Governor in 1788. Heyward served as a judge and became an advocate for innovations in agriculture. Middleton returned to South Carolina in 1783 and devoted his energies to repairing his war-ravaged estate. He also served as a trustee of the College of Charleston.
Photo by National Park Service.
