Governor John Lyde Wilson

JOHN LYDE WILSON was born in what is now Marlboro County, South Carolina. He studied law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1807. Prior to being elected governor, he was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives for a number of non-consecutive terms and a member of the South Carolina Senate from 1818 to 1822-Senate President during his final year in office. While governor, he opposed the right of the U.S. Congress to interfere in state affairs, reflecting the growing theory of states’ rights. During his gubernatorial term, he also served as a Trustee of South Carolina College and incorporator of the Medical College of South Carolina. After leaving office, Wilson returned to the South Carolina Senate and was a member of the Nullification Convention of 1832-1833 (which debated the question of whether states had the right to nullify federal law). He also served as a director of the Bank of the State of South Carolina and Commissioner of Public Buildings.