Thomas Heyward Jr.

Born to Daniel and Maria (or Mary) Heyward on July 28, 1746, in St. Helena’s Parish, South Carolina, Thomas Heyward Jr. was the fifth generation of his family to be born in America. Daniel was a wealthy planter who owned thousands of acres between Beaufort and Savannah, Georgia. On his plantations, he grew a variety of crops including indigo and cotton, but rice was his most significant produce. 

Heyward grew up with five siblings – four brothers and a sister; he was the oldest. He used Jr. in his name to differentiate himself from an uncle who had the same name. His father prioritized education, ensuring that Heyward learned Latin amongst other subjects. Heyward continued his schooling by working with Mr. Parson, a well-respected lawyer in the area. Similarly to John Rutledge, a fellow South Carolinian political figure, Heyward traveled to England to complete his legal education at Middle Temple. This was common of the South Carolina aristocracy. The Inns of Court accepted Heyward to the Bar in 1770, and he would spend the next year traveling throughout the European continent. 

Heyward learned more than just the law during his time in Europe. While in England, he became aware of British prejudice against American colonists. He perceived their feeling of superiority, which in turn negatively affected his view of them. Similarly, he made his own observations of Europeans and their lifestyles determining that he preferred the simple life in the colonies to the luxury of European cities. Heyward returned to South Carolina in 1771, and he married Elizabeth Matthews in 1772.

Heyward quickly reacclimated to life in the colonies, established his law practice and began his lengthy career in government. He returned to America identifying with the Whig party and rejecting English rule, ready to take part in the forming revolution. Heyward first served his fellow citizens in the General Assembly, acting on the “Committee of Safety.” In 1774, he became a founding member of the “Committee of Ninety-Nine”, which called for the organization of a ruling body outside of the British government; this would become the Provincial Congress of South Carolina. Heyward served in the first and second Provincial Congress, this time acting on the “Council of Safety.” There, he aided in the preparation for war and guiding the public during a contentious time. 

Heyward’s political activity increased when he joined the second Continental Congress in 1775 after John Rutledge’s return to South Carolina to lead as President (Governor). In a trial vote, Heyward initially voted “No” for independence as he was unsure if the colonies were ready. However, his vote changed the following day. This call for independence was solidified when the delegates signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776; Heyward was one of four signers representing South Carolina. 

Benjamin Rush, a fellow signer of the Declaration from Pennsylvania, said of Heyward,

He was a firm Republican of good education and most amicable manners. He possessed an elegant political genius, which he sometimes exercised with success upon the various events of the war.

Heyward helped to draft South Carolina’s State Constitution and signed the Articles of Confederation. He returned to South Carolina in 1778, following the death of his father to manage the sixteen family plantations where hundreds of enslaved people worked. 

With the Revolutionary War raging on, Heyward led patriots in Charleston. He became a judge and presided over a trial of loyalists accused of treasonously corresponding with the British Army. The verdict affirmed their guilt, and they were executed. Heyward also assumed captaincy of a Charleston Artillery Company in the South Carolina Militia. He supported the defense of Port Royal Island with his company under General Moultrie and alongside fellow Declaration of Independence signer Edward Rutledge. The British were not deterred and began their siege of Charleston in early 1780. Heyward and his company managed cannons during the British attack. Outnumbered, patriot Major General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered with his 5,000 soldiers on May 12, 1780. As an officer, Heyward remained in Charleston as a paroled prisoner. However, he was arrested and detained in the Royal Exchange Building after alleged secret meetings with other patriots. He and other prisoners were transported to St. Augustine, Florida, and then to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a prisoner exchange. While en-route by sea to Philadelphia, Heyward fell overboard and almost drowned. 

Heyward returned to South Carolina in 1782 to a changed state and life. The British remained in Charleston through the end of the year. During the Siege of Charleston, they had damaged Heyward’s plantations and confiscated his property, including hundreds of enslaved people. While working to restore the family plantations, Heyward grieved for his wife, Elizabeth who had died in childbirth in 1782. Together they had six children. 

In the subsequent years, Heyward held an Associate Law Judge seat in South Carolina. He also served as a delegate at the South Carolina Constitutional Convention and ratified the document. In 1785, Heyward was a founding member and first president of the South Carolina Agricultural Society which advocated for agricultural innovation and progress. He married Elizabeth Savage in 1786. 

He withdrew from public life around 1799. Heyward died in Charleston, South Carolina in March or April 1809, at the age of sixty-three. He was buried in the family cemetery at his father’s estate “Old House.” His second wife, Elizabeth Savage, survived him. From both of his marriages, four children lived to maturity.