History
The South Carolina Constitution of 1776 specified for the Governor (known as the President) to be chosen by the General Assembly. In 1778, the constitution was amended to change the title for the chief of the executive branch from President to Governor.
A new constitution was promulgated in 1865 following the capture of the state by the Union Army in the Civil War. It called for the direct election of the Governor, but continued to limit the vote to white males. On October 18, 1865, James Lawrence Orr was the first Governor of South Carolina to be elected by popular vote.
Following the state's failure to adopt the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the US Congress eliminated all offices of state government. A temporary military government headed by Edward Canby was set up until new elections were held after the writing of the Constitution of 1868. All male citizens above the age of 21, regardless of race, were given the right to vote and the Governor was allowed to be elected to two consecutive terms.
The election of Ben Tillman in 1890 to Governor by the support of agrarian reformers forced a new constitutional convention to be held. The constitution of 1895 instituted a poll tax and also required voters to pass a literacy test. It did increase the Governor's powers by granting a line-item veto on the budget.
In 1926, an amendment to the constitution was passed that lengthened the Governor's term to 4 years, but prevented consecutive terms. Governor Richard Riley pushed for an amendment to allow for two consecutive terms and it was passed by the voters in 1980.
Read more about this topic: Governor Of South Carolina
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