South Carolina Hall Of Fame: Arthur Middleton

Born near Charleston in 1742, Middleton was educated in England before returning to South Carolina and establishing his plantation at Middleton Place. He served in the Provincial Congress and on the Committee of Safety before being elected to the Continental Congress in 1774. Though he was a leader in the independence movement in South Carolina, Middleton continued to hope for reconciliation with Great Britain until he signed the Declaration of Independence. In May 1780, he was captured by the British and held as a prisoner in St. Augustine until he was exchanged in July 1781. Before his death in 1787 Middleton served in both the South Carolina House of Representatives and State Senate.