William Henry Drayton

William Henry Drayton (* September 1742 at Drayton Hall on the banks of the Ashley River, South Carolina; † September 3, 1779 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ) was an American lawyer, judge and politician.

Career

William Henry Drayton pursued classical studies. He attended Westminster School and Balliol College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. He then returned in 1764 back to South Carolina, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He traveled to England in 1770 and was there by George III. appointed Councilor of the Province of South Carolina. On his way home, he was appointed Judge Assistand, but he took such an active role in the Vorrevolutionsbewegung one that his two positions to him were withdrawn. He was 1775 President of the Council of Safety and in 1776 Chief Justice. He then became a member of the Continental Congress in 1778 and held this position until his death in 1779 in Philadelphia. He was buried in Christ Church Cemetery.