Wade Hampton

Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818 – April 11, 1902) was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterwards a politician from South Carolina, representing it as governor and U.S. Senator.

Postbellum career

Hampton was a leading fighter against radical Republican Reconstruction policies in the South. Reentering politics, he was elected governor of South Carolina in 1876, the first southern governor to run on a platform in opposition to Reconstruction. He defeated his rival, incumbent governor Daniel Henry Chamberlain, by only a few votes, and it took a ruling by the state Supreme Court to resolve the election, defying Federal troops who barred him from the courthouse. Hampton became known as the "Savior of South Carolina." He was reelected to a second term in 1878, but he resigned in 1879 when he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served two terms, until 1891. His election victory was marred when he was thrown from a mule and fractured his right leg, required its amputation just before he left for Washington.

Related Topics:
Republican - Reconstruction - 1876 - Daniel Henry Chamberlain - 1878 - 1879 - United States Senate - 1891

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From 1893 to 1897, he served as United States Railroad Commissioner, appointed by President Grover Cleveland. In 1899, his home in Columbia, South Carolina, was destroyed by fire. An elderly man, he had limited funds and limited means to find a new home. Over his strong protests, a group of friends raised enough funds to build him one.

Related Topics:
1893 - 1897 - President - Grover Cleveland - 1899 - Columbia, South Carolina

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In 1890, Hampton's niece Caroline, an operating room nurse, married the father of American surgery, William Halsted. It was because of her skin reaction to surgical sterilization chemicals that Halsted invented the surgical glove the previous year.

Related Topics:
1890 - Surgery - William Halsted

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Hampton died in Columbia and is buried there in Trinity Cathedral Churchyard. Statues of him were erected in the South Carolina Capitol building and the United States Capitol. He is also memorialized in three geographic names:

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• Hampton County, South Carolina
• Wade Hampton, South Carolina
• Wade Hampton Census Area, Alaska