Ralph Izard

Ralph Izard (January 23, 1741/1742 – May 30, 1804) was a U.S. politician. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1794.[1]

This article is about the U.S. Congressman. For his son, who distinguished himself at the burning of the Philadelphia at Tripoli, see Ralph Izard (naval officer).
Not to be confused with Ralph Izzard.
Ralph Izard
Ralph Izard, 1793, by John Trumbull
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office
May 31, 1794 – November 9, 1794
Preceded byJohn Langdon
Succeeded byHenry Tazewell
United States Senator
from South Carolina
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1795
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJacob Read
Delegate from South Carolina to the Congress of the Confederation
In office
November 4, 1782 – November 1, 1783
Personal details
BornJanuary 23, 1741 / 1742
near Charleston, South Carolina
DiedMay 30, 1804 (aged 62–63)
near Charleston, South Carolina
Political partyPro-Administration
SpouseAlice De Lancey Izard
ChildrenHenry Izard
Ralph Izard
George Izard
Charlotte Izard
Alma materTrinity Hall, Cambridge
ProfessionPlanter
Signature

Early life
Coat of Arms of Ralph Izard

Izard was born at "The Elms" near Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Henry Izard and Margaret Johnson. His great-grandfather was Ralph Izard[2] (1660–1710), who was born in Dorchester, England and settled in South Carolina. His maternal grandfather was Province of South Carolina Governor Robert Johnson. Izard's parents died when he was a small child, and only one of his siblings survived to adulthood.

He spent most of his childhood and youth studying in England: he attended a school in Hackney, London, and matriculated as a fellow-commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.[3] Izard returned to America in 1764, but did not remain in South Carolina for long.[4] He was elected the American Society (later the American Philosophical Society) in 1768.[5]

Career

He resided in London in 1771 and moved to Paris, France, in 1776. He was appointed commissioner to the Court of Tuscany by the Continental Congress in 1776, but was recalled in 1779. He returned to America in 1780 and pledged his large estate in South Carolina for the payment of war ships to be used in the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. In 1788, he was elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1795, serving as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Third Congress.[4]

Later life

Izard was one of the founders of the College of Charleston. Izard retired from public life to the care of his estates in 1795. Within two years of his retirement, he was stricken with an untreatable illness that paralyzed him on one side of his body.

Death and legacy
Alice De Lancey Izard, portrait by Thomas Gainsborough

In 1767, Izard married Alice De Lancey, who was a niece of James DeLancey and a descendant of Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Gertrude Schuyler. After Izard moved to America in 1780 to focus on his work towards the American Revolution, his family stayed in France until 1783 when they joined him in South Carolina. Izard and his wife had fourteen children together, but only seven survived past early childhood, including:[6]

Izard died near Charleston on May 30, 1804, at the age of sixty-two. He is interred in the churchyard of St. James Goose Creek Episcopal Church, near Charleston.[4]

Izard was a slaveholder.[7][8]

Descendants

A great-grandson of Ralph Izard was Charles Manigault Morris who was also a great-grandson of Lewis Morris. A cousin of Charles Manigault Morris was General Arthur Middleton Manigault who was descended from Mary Izard-cousin of Ralph Izard.

A cousin Sarah Izard married South Carolina Loyalist Governor Lord William Campbell. A cousin twice removed was Elizabeth {Eliza} Izard who was a daughter-in-law of Congressman of South Carolina Thomas Pinckney. One niece Elizabeth Izard married Alexander Wright (1751–?), a son of Loyalist Governor of Georgia James Wright (governor).

References
  1. "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  2. "FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  3. "Izard, Ralph (ISRT761R)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  4. "IZARD, Ralph (c 1741-1804)". bioguideretro.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  6. http://articles.westga.edu:2609/servlet/Sabin?dd=0&locID=carr52158&d1=SABCA04589100&srchtp=a&c=1&an=SABCA04589100&df=f&d2=14&docNum=CY3803265979&h2=1&vrsn=1.0&af=RN&d6=14&d3=14&ste=10&stp=Author&d4=0.5&d5=d6&ae=CY103265966
  7. Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  8. "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-27, retrieved 2022-01-29
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