Miles Benjamin McSweeney

Miles Benjamin McSweeney (April 18, 1855  September 29, 1909) was the 87th Governor of South Carolina from June 2, 1899, to January 20, 1903.

Miles Benjamin McSweeney
87th Governor of South Carolina
In office
June 2, 1899  January 20, 1903
LieutenantRobert B. Scarborough
James H. Tillman
Preceded byWilliam Haselden Ellerbe
Succeeded byDuncan Clinch Heyward
62nd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office
January 18, 1897 June 2, 1899
GovernorWilliam Haselden Ellerbe
Preceded byW.H. Timmerman
Succeeded byRobert B. Scarborough
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Hampton County
In office
November 27, 1894 January 12, 1897
Personal details
Born(1855-04-18)April 18, 1855
Charleston, South Carolina
DiedSeptember 29, 1909(1909-09-29) (aged 54)
Baltimore, Maryland
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materWashington and Lee University
ProfessionNewspaper editor

McSweeney was born in Charleston and was forced to become a paperboy at the age of 10 in order to help support his family when his father died. He went to Lexington, Virginia to attend Washington and Lee University upon being awarded the Typographical Union of Charleston Scholarship, but later had to withdraw due to lack of funds. He published the Ninety-Six Guardian at the age of 22 and he moved to Hampton two years later to start the Hampton County Guardian.

In 1894, McSweeney was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives and additionally served as the chairman of the Hampton County Democratic Party. He successfully ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1896 and was elevated to the governorship following the death of Governor William Haselden Ellerbe on June 2, 1899. A proponent of the state Dispensary and backed by Senator Ben Tillman, McSweeney won a term on his own in the gubernatorial election of 1900. However, many in Hampton were in favor of prohibition and the Hampton County Guardian lost advertising revenue and subscriptions because of McSweeney's support of the Dispensary.

Upon the completion of his term as governor in 1903, McSweeney returned to Hampton and continued as editor of the Hampton County Guardian. He died in Baltimore on September 29, 1909, and was buried at Hampton Cemetery in Hampton.

Party political offices
Preceded by
William Haselden Ellerbe
Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina
1900
Succeeded by
Duncan Clinch Heyward
Political offices
Preceded by
W.H. Timmerman
Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
1897–1899
Succeeded by
Robert B. Scarborough
Preceded by
William Haselden Ellerbe
Governor of South Carolina
1899–1903
Succeeded by
Duncan Clinch Heyward
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