Charles Pinckney

Charles Pinckney 1757-1824, American statesman, governor of South Carolina (1789-92, 1796-98, 1806-8), b. Charleston, S.C.; cousin of Charles C. Pinckney and Thomas Pinckney. He fought in the American Revolution and was taken prisoner in the British capture of Charleston (1780). A delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, he submitted a plan for the Constitution. Although its exact provisions are not known, his plan had considerable influence on the final draft of the Constitution. In 1798 he became a U.S. Senator, and his services in forwarding Thomas Jefferson's presidential candidacy were rewarded by his appointment (1801) as minister to Spain. His principal assignment was to secure, with James Monroe's help, the cession of Florida to the United States. The attempt failed, and Pinckney returned home in 1805. From 1819 to 1821 he was a member of the House of Representatives, where he made a celebrated speech against the Missouri Compromise.

Bibliography: See G. C. Rogers, Charleston in the Age of the Pinckneys (1969).

Pinckney, Charles (1757–1824) US politician. He was the youngest member of the Continental Congress (1784–87) and played a major role at the Constitutional Convention (1785–87). As minister to Spain (1801–05), he secured Spanish acceptance of the Louisiana Purchase. He served as South Carolina's governor and led Congressional opposition to the Missouri Compromise.