South Carolina Hall Of Fame: Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Born in St. Luke's Parish in 1746, Heyward was educated abroad and returned to practice law in Charleston. In 1774 he was elected to the Provincial Assembly and served on the Committee of Safety. In 1776 he was elected to the Continental Congress, and signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1789, while serving in the militia, he was captured when Charleston fell to the British. After his release one year later, Heyward retired from public life to oversee his plantation.