Arnoldus Vanderhorst

Arnoldus Vander Horst (* March 21, 1748 in Christ Church Parish, South Carolina, † January 29, 1815 in Charleston, South Carolina ) was an American politician and Governor of South Carolina.

Rise

Arnoldus Vander Horst grew up on a cotton plantation. He took part as an officer in the Revolutionary War. Politically he belonged to the party of federalists. In the years 1785 and 1791 he was mayor of Charleston. Between 1776 and 1780 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from South Carolina; 1780 to 1786 he was a member of the State Senate.

Governor of South Carolina

1794 Vander Horst was elected Governor of South Carolina. His term began on 1 December of the year and ended two years later, on December 1, 1796. As Governor, he liberalized the drastic criminal law in South Carolina. The reason for this was the fact that the jury often judged because of the sharpness of the laws in acquittals, although the defendants were guilty. The prescribed penalties were simply not considered appropriate. In addition, the governor advocated a reform of the prison system. However, the dominant theme of the day was a closed from John Jay treaty with Great Britain, which was highly controversial in South Carolina, because you could not see adequately represented its economic interests in the contract. It was mainly about the shipment of cotton to England, a vital for the economy of South Carolina point. The discussion of this treaty led to a loss of prestige of the Federalist Party and its politicians. In addition there was an opposition within the country between the rich planters in the east and the disadvantaged population in the west of South Carolina. From this situation, the followers of Thomas Jefferson were able to benefit, which now also Charles Pinckney known, who was then elected in 1796 to Vander Horst's successor. At the federal level, the loss of power of the Federalists continued and led in 1800 to the election of Jefferson as U.S. president.

Further CV

After the end of his tenure, Vander Horst retired to his cotton plantation. He died in January 1815. He was married to Elizabeth Raver, with whom he had four children.