South Carolina was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was admitted as a state on May 23, 1788.

[1] Before it declared its independence, South Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

It seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860,[2] and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861.

[3] Following the end of the American Civil War, South Carolina during Reconstruction was part of the Second Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections.

The 1776 constitution created the office of vice-president, renamed to lieutenant governor in 1778, to succeed to the governorship should it become vacant.