Hammond, James Henry, 1807-1864

James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was an American attorney, politician, and planter. He served as a United States representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, and a United States senator from 1857 to 1860. A slave owner, Hammond was one of the most ardent supporters of slavery in the years before the American Civil War. Acquiring property through marriage, Hammond ultimately owned 22 square miles, several plantations and houses, and enslaved more than 300 people. Through his wife's family, he was a brother-in-law of Wade Hampton II and uncle to his children, including Wade Hampton III. When the senior Hampton learned that Hammond had raped his four Hampton nieces as teenagers, he made the scandal public. The publicizing of his crimes nearly derailed Hammond's career, but he later was elected to the United States Senate.