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Thomas Bothwell Jeter

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Thomas Bothwell Jeter
79th Governor of South Carolina
In office
September 1, 1880 – November 30, 1880
LieutenantNone
Preceded byWilliam Dunlap Simpson
Succeeded byJohnson Hagood
President Pro Tempore of the South Carolina Senate
In office
November 28, 1877 – September 1, 1880
GovernorWade Hampton III
William Dunlap Simpson
Preceded byStephen Atkins Swails
Succeeded byIsaac Donnom Witherspoon
Member of the South Carolina Senate from Union County
In office
November 30, 1880 – November 28, 1882
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byWilliam Munro (politician)
In office
November 26, 1872 – September 1, 1880
Preceded byHiram W. Duncan
Succeeded byHimself
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Union District
In office
November 24, 1856 – November 22, 1858
Personal details
Born(1827-10-13)October 13, 1827
Santuc, South Carolina, US
DiedMay 20, 1883(1883-05-20) (aged 55)
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesThomas Bothwell Butler (nephew)
Military service
AllegianceConfederate States of America
Branch/serviceConfederate States Army
Rankcaptain
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Thomas Bothwell Jeter (October 13, 1827 – May 20, 1883) was the 79th Governor of South Carolina from September 1, 1880 to November 30, 1880. His home in Union, South Carolina is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early life and war service

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Born in Santuc, South Carolina, 5 mi (8.0 km) north of Carlisle in Union County, Jeter attended and graduated from South Carolina College in 1846. He was admitted to the bar 1848 and practiced law in the Upstate while concurrently holding the position of president of the Spartanburg and Union Railroad. Additionally during antebellum, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1856. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Jeter volunteered for service in the Confederate Army and was made a captain of infantry.

Political career

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After the war, Jeter resumed his law practice. He was elected to the South Carolina Senate in 1872, after becoming disenchanted by Radical Republican rule of the state during Reconstruction. He continued to serve in the Senate and became the President Pro Tempore in November 1877, because of the mass resignations of Republicans after their party's defeat in the gubernatorial election of 1876. The Republicans thereby gave control of the Senate to the Democrats. Wade Hampton won re-election in 1878 for another two-year term, but did not finish the term because he resigned in 1879 after being elected to the U.S. Senate.

Lieutenant Governor William Dunlap Simpson succeeded Hampton and Jeter as the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as Jeter became the Lieutenant Governor. When Simpson resigned on September 1, 1880, upon appointment to be the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, Jeter became the 79th governor of South Carolina and served for three months.

Service in the Railroad Commission and death in office

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In 1882, Jeter was appointed to the South Carolina Railroad Commission and served until his death on May 20, 1883. He was buried at Forestlawn Cemetery in Union.

Legacy

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The Gov. Thomas B. Jeter House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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Political offices
Preceded by Governor of South Carolina
1880
Succeeded by