William Drayton

William Drayton
William Drayton
Born	Template:Birth date; St. Augustine, British Florida
Died	May 24, 1846 (aged 69); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Statesman, financier, author
Known for	U.S. Representative from South Carolina (1825–1833), president of the Second Bank of the United States (briefly in 1841)

William Drayton (December 30, 1776 – May 24, 1846) was an American statesman, financier, and author who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of William Drayton Sr., who served as chief justice of the Province of East Florida from 1765 until 1780.

Drayton held office as a U.S. Representative from 1825 to 1833. Following the Nullification Crisis, he relocated his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1833, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Early life and education

Drayton was born in St. Augustine during the period of British governance. In 1780, his father lost his judicial role due to suspected sympathies with the rebels and moved the family to Charleston. The elder Drayton was a plantation owner, including holdings such as what is now known as Drayton Island.

Both William and his brother Jacob received their education in England before returning to Charleston to study law; both brothers ultimately pursued legal careers.

Marriage and family

Around 1804, William Drayton married Anna Gadsden (who passed away in 1814), and they had four children:

Emma Gadsden (circa 1804–1840)
Thomas Fenwick (1809–1891), who became a general in the Confederate Army
Percival (1812–1865), a lifelong officer in the U.S. Navy
William Sidney (circa 1814–1860), who served in the Navy and was involved in maritime business

After Anna's death, Drayton wed Maria Heyward in 1817; among their five children, two survived into adulthood:

William Heyward, who practiced law in Philadelphia
Henry Edward, a physician based in Philadelphia

While the family moved northward, Thomas Drayton stayed behind in South Carolina, where he acquired a plantation at Hilton Head. A graduate of West Point, he resigned from the U.S. Army to join the Confederate forces. During the battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, Thomas and his brother Percival found themselves commanding opposing sides as Union troops seized important forts.

Career

William Drayton achieved the rank of colonel during the War of 1812, a title he retained for life. In 1816, Andrew Jackson recommended him to President-elect James Monroe for the position of Secretary of War, highlighting Drayton's Federalist roots and allegiance to the Madison administration; however, this nomination was not successful. In 1824, he was elected to represent South Carolina’s first congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1825 through 1833.

During the nullification crisis of 1833, Drayton upheld unionist principles and moved his family to Philadelphia. He became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1835. Although he championed unionism, he was a proponent of slavery and authored The South Vindicated from the Treason and Fanaticism of the Abolitionists (1836), defending southern interests. Briefly in 1841, he held the presidency of the defunct Second Bank of the United States.

Drayton passed away on May 24, 1846, in Philadelphia and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Legacy and honors

His archival materials are maintained by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia.
The writer Edgar Allan Poe dedicated his anthology Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (1840) to William Drayton.

Bibliography

The South Vindicated from the Treason and Fanatacism of the Northern Abolitionists, published by H. Manly (Philadelphia), 1836

External links

Congressional biography on the official U.S. Congress site
Drayton Family Archives, featuring letters dated 1783–1896, Historical Society of Pennsylvania