[2] Tynte is variously called both a major and a colonel in surviving documents,[1] providing evidence for some military career.
Many of his family members attended Oxford University,[1] and it is believed that Tynte was a culturally knowledgable man based on a poem written for him by William King called "Ad Amicum.
[4][5] Concerning maritime trade, Tynte was instructed to allow ships to import or export goods only if their master and 75% of their crew were of English descent.
[6] Other instructions included monitoring whaling and the sale of land, along with establishing friendly relationships with the local Native Americans.
[11][12] One of Tynte's few acts in his short governorship was signing legislation that would enact free public education in South Carolina.