South Carolina Hall Of Fame: King Hagler

Born Arataswa Haigler, "King Hagler" was so named by Gov. James Glen in the early 1750s and was recognized by the royal governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and New York as the leader of the Catawba Nation. The best known of the Catawba chiefs, Hagler's life is documented only from 1750, when he rose to power after the previous chief was ambushed and killed by a group of northern Indians.

Hagler had a reputation as peacekeeper with other tribes and colonists. His first official act, in 1751, involved the signing in Albany, N.Y., of a temporary peace treaty with the Six Nations. During the French and Indian War, the Catawba sent a contingent of soldiers to fight with Col. George Washington in 1756-1757. A smaller contingent of Catawba fought with Gen. John Forbes in Virginia in 1758.

However, the most important event during Hagler's reign was the Treaty of Pine Tree Hill, which he negotiated in July 1760. It ultimately provided a 15-square-mile reservation on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina for the Catawba. On Aug. 30, 1763, Hagler was returning from visiting the Waxhaws and was ambushed and killed by seven Shawnees on the road to the Catawba town on Twelve Mile Creek.