William Lowndes (congressman)
William Jones Lowndes | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd district | |
In office March 4, 1813 – May 8, 1822 | |
Preceded by | William Butler |
Succeeded by | James Hamilton, Jr. |
Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means | |
In office 1815–1818 | |
Preceded by | John W. Eppes |
Succeeded by | Samuel Smith |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th district | |
In office March 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813 | |
Preceded by | John Taylor |
Succeeded by | John J. Chappell |
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from St. Philip's and St. Michael's Parish | |
In office November 26, 1804 – December 19, 1807 | |
Personal details | |
Born | February 11, 1782 |
Died |
October 27, 1822 40) Atlantic Ocean | (aged
Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Pinckney |
Profession | planter, lawyer |
William Jones Lowndes (February 11, 1782 – October 27, 1822) was an American lawyer, planter, and statesman from South Carolina. He represented the state in the U.S. Congress from 1811 to May 8, 1822, when he resigned.
He was the son of Rawlins Lowndes, an American Revolutionary War leader from South Carolina. He married Elizabeth Pinckney, daughter of Federalist leader Thomas Pinckney.
Politics
William J. Lowndes first served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1804 to 1808.
He was for four years Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in the US House. He worked to achieve a compromise on sectional issues like tariffs and slavery. He also assisted in the creation of the second national bank. U.S. President James Madison offered Lowndes the post of Secretary of the Treasury in 1816, but Lowndes declined and Madison appointed William Harris Crawford.
The South Carolina state legislature nominated Lowndes in 1821 as a Presidential candidate for the election of 1824.
William Lowndes resigned from the U.S. Congress in May 1822 and died of illness on October 27, 1822, while en route to England. He was buried at sea.
Legacy and honors
In March–April 1824, electors from South Carolina honored William Lowndes posthumously with a single vote at the Democratic-Republican Party Caucus, as the party's candidate for the Office of U.S. Vice President for the upcoming 1824 U.S. Presidential Election.
William Lowndes is credited with developing the Lowndes' Apportionment Method, a method of apportionment for Congressional seats that would give more power to smaller states. It was not adopted by Congress.[1]
Lowndesville, South Carolina; and Lowndes counties in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are all named in his honor.[2]
References
- ↑ Michael J. Caulfield (Gannon University), "Apportioning Representatives in the United States Congress - Lowndes' Method of Apportionment," Convergence (November 2010), DOI:10.4169/loci003163
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 191.
External links
- Genealogy of the Lowndes family in South Carolina
- Lowndesville Historical Marker
- Short bio
- United States Congress. "William Lowndes (id: L000483)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
United States House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Taylor |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district 1811–1813 |
Succeeded by John J. Chappell |
Preceded by William Butler |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1813–1822 |
Succeeded by James Hamilton, Jr. |