Plowden Weston

Plowden CJ Weston was an American plantation owner and politician who served as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.[1]

Plowden Weston
50th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office
December 17, 1862 – January 25, 1864
GovernorJohn Gardiner Richards Jr.
Preceded byWilliam Harllee
Succeeded byRobert McCaw
Personal details
Born(1821-08-21)August 21, 1821
London, England
DiedJanuary 25, 1864(1864-01-25) (aged 42)
Conway, South Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Cambridge

Biography

Plowden Weston was born in London, England in 1821 and migrated to the United States at a young age. Weston's father purchased the Laurel Hill Plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina, where Weston spent most of his childhood years.[2] At age twelve, he returned to England to attend Harrow School, a private school for boys. Weston later attended the University of Cambridge. In 1847, Weston married an English woman and returned to the United States.[3]

Weston received the Hagley plantation as a wedding gift and became one of the wealthiest men in South Carolina and one of the largest slaveholders.[3][4]

Weston was elected Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina in 1862. He died in office at age 42 in 1864. He died of tuberculosis.[5] At the time of his death, he owned 185 slaves and his estate was valued at approximately $500,000 (10 million dollars adjusted for inflation in 2023).[6][7]

Weston has been nicknamed the "gray man" by some locals of Pawley's Island, a ghost who appears before every major hurricane.[8][9]

References
  1. "LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS OF SOUTH CAROLINA 1730–2021" (PDF). scstatehouse.gov. South Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. "Plowden Weston's Plantation Journal". lcdl.library.cofc.edu. College of Charleston. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. "Plowden Charles Jennett Weston, Lt. Gov. South Carolina". www.geni.com.
  4. "List of Negroes at Hagley, Weehawka & True Blue plantations, 1860". hathitrust.org. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  5. "Audubon prints back in Georgetown". postandcourier.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  6. "Plowden CJ Weston Estate File ..." scgenweb.org. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  7. "$500,000 in 1864 is worth $9,661,242.04 today". www.officialdata.org. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  8. "Ghosts and Legends: The Gray Man and Hurricanes". www.scetv.org. SCETV.
  9. "Haunted History: The Gray Man of Pawleys Island". youtube.com. WCBD NEWS 2. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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