24 



JOHN DRAYTON. 



John Drayton is little known as a botanist; he figures 

 chiefly for his political activities. Yet he deserves 

 mention among the botanists of South Carolina for the 

 work which he did towards cherishing and propagating 

 a then comparatively new science. 



John Dra>i:on, known in history as Governor Dray- 

 ton, and at one time a Judge of the United States Dis- 

 trict Court for South Carolina, was bom in 1766, prob- 

 ably at Charleston, S. C. He was the son of Chief Jus- 

 tice William Henry Drayton, who died during a visit 

 to Philadelphia, September 3, 1778. John Drayton 

 was placed by his father under the instruction of the 

 celebrated Dr. Witherspoon, at Princeton, N. J. H« 

 completed his legal education in London, was admitted 

 to the bar and opened a law ofRce in Charleston, S. C. 

 In early life he was married to Miss Hester Rose, 

 daughter of Philip Tideman. In 1798 he was elected 

 Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, and on the 

 death of Governor Edward Rutledge in January, 1800, 

 Mr. Drayton succeeded to the Governorship. At the 

 end of his term in the following December, he was 

 elected Governor for a term of two years. His admin- 

 istration was a successful one, and he was said to be the 

 first Governor of South Carolina who undertook to 

 make a thorough personal review of the military 

 strength of the State. While he held the executive of- 

 fice in 1802, Governor Drayton published a book en- 

 titled ''A View of South Carolina," a valuable work con- 

 taining a large amount of useful statistical information. 

 Of this some thirty-odd pages are devoted to the plants 

 and animals of the State, principally to the plants. The 

 following is quoted from that work: 



''Although some attempts have been made to ascer- 

 tain the vegetable productions of South Carolina; yet 



T :'\^^. 



