Henry L. Pinckney

Henry L. Pinckney
Henry L. Pinckney
29th Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina
	In office; September 4, 1837 – September 7, 1840
Preceded by	Robert Young Hayne
Succeeded by	Jacob F. Mintzing
	In office; September 5, 1831 – September 2, 1833; as Intendant
Preceded by	James R. Pringle
Succeeded by	Edward W. North
	In office; September 7, 1829 – September 6, 1830; as Intendant
Preceded by	John Gadsden
Succeeded by	James R. Pringle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from South Carolina's 1st district
	In office; March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837
Preceded by	William Drayton
Succeeded by	Hugh S. Legaré
18th Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives
	In office; November 22, 1830 – March 4, 1833
Governor	James Hamilton Jr.; Robert Young Hayne
Preceded by	Benjamin Faneuil Dunkin
Succeeded by	Patrick Noble
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from St. Philip's and St. Michael's Parish
	In office; November 22, 1830 – March 4, 1833
	In office; November 25, 1816 – January 30, 1828
Personal details
Born	Henry Laurens Pinckney; September 24, 1794; Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Died	February 3, 1863 (aged 68); Charleston, South Carolina, Confederate States
Political party	Nullifier
Spouse	Harriet Lee Post
Alma mater	South Carolina College
Profession	journalist, politician

Henry Laurens Pinckney (September 24, 1794 – February 3, 1863) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, and the son of Charles Pinckney and Mary Eleanor Laurens.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Pinckney attended private schools. He graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1812. He studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Charleston.

Pinckney served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1816–1832). He founded the Charleston Mercury in 1819 and was its sole editor for fifteen years. Between 1829 and 1840, he served six terms as intendant or mayor of Charleston.^[1] In 1838, he won among a field of four candidates with the following votes: Pinckney (600), Col. James Lynah (575), Dr. Joseph Johnston (203), and Dr. J.W. Schmidt (141).^[2]

Pinckney was elected as a Nullifier to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1836, having been labelled a "traitor" by ultra-conservative Southerners for compromising with New York's Martin van Buren on the 1836 "gag-rule" bill.^[3]

Pinckney served as collector of the port of Charleston in 1841 and 1842 and as the tax collector of St. Philip's and St. Michael's parishes (1845–1863).

Pinckney married Harriet Lee Post, the daughter of Chaplain of the Senate Reuben Post and Harriet Moffitt, a granddaughter of Richard Henry Lee. He died in Charleston, South Carolina on February 3, 1863 (during the time when South Carolina had seceded and joined the Confederate States).

References

^ "Henry Laurens Pinckney." http://www.HalseyMap.com/Flash/mayors-detail.asp?polID=25
^ "Charleston". The Edgefield Advertiser. Edgefield, South Carolina. September 13, 1838. p. 3. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
^ William W. Freehling, "The Road to Disunion: Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854", vol. 1 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 327-331.

Sources

United States Congress. "Henry L. Pinckney (id: P000355)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Political offices
Preceded by Robert Young Hayne	Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina 1837–1840	Succeeded by Jacob F. Mintzing
Preceded by James R. Pringle	Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina 1831–1833	Succeeded by Edward W. North
Preceded by John Gadsden	Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina 1829–1830	Succeeded by James R. Pringle
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by William Drayton	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st congressional district 1833–1837	Succeeded by Hugh S. Legaré