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AIKEN, William (1806-1887)
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AIKEN, WILLIAM, (cousin of David Wyatt Aiken, relative of Wyatt Aiken), a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charleston, S.C., January 28, 1806; attended private schools; was graduated from the College of South Carolina (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1825; engaged in agricultural pursuits; member of the State house of representatives 1838-1842; served in the State senate 1842-1844; Governor of South Carolina 1844-1846; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second, Thirty-third, and Thirty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1857); was an unsuccessful candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives after 133 ballots in the Thirty-fourth Congress; was not a candidate for renomination in 1856; presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Thirty-ninth Congress February 12, 1867, but was not permitted to qualify; resumed his former pursuits near Charleston, S.C.; died at Flat Rock, Henderson County, N.C., September 6, 1887; interment in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C.

Library of Congress
Manuscript Division
Washington, DC
Papers: In the W. W. Corcoran Papers, ca. 1791-1896, 54,000 items.
Correspondents include William Aiken. A finding aid is available in the library.

Papers: In the J. L. M. Curry Papers, ca. 1637-1939, 6.6 linear feet.
Correspondents include William Aiken. A finding aid is available in the library.

  • Vanderbilt Benevolent Association, Charleston, S.C. In Affectionate Rememberance [sic] of the Honorable William Aiken. [Charleston: Lucas, Richardson & Co., Printers, 1887].
  • Winthrop, Robert Charles. Tribute to William Aiken, Ex-Governor of South Carolina, at the Annual Meeting of the Trustees of the Peabody Education Fund, New York, 5 October, 1887. Cambridge: J. Wilson and Son, 1887.