William Moultrie

William Moultrie
Portrait of William Moultrie by Charles Willson Peale, 1782
35th Governor of South Carolina
In office
December 5, 1792 – December 17, 1794
LieutenantJames Ladson
Preceded byCharles Pinckney
Succeeded byArnoldus Vanderhorst
In office
February 11, 1785 – February 20, 1787
LieutenantCharles Drayton
Preceded byBenjamin Guerard
Succeeded byThomas Pinckney
10th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office
February 16, 1784 – February 11, 1785
GovernorBenjamin Guerard
Preceded byRichard Beresford
Succeeded byCharles Drayton
Personal details
Born(1730-11-23)November 23, 1730
Charlestown, Province of South Carolina, British America
DiedSeptember 27, 1805(1805-09-27) (aged 74)
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain
 United States of America
Branch/service South Carolina militia
Continental Army
Years of service1761
1775–1783
RankMajor General
Unit2nd South Carolina Regiment
Battles/wars

William Moultrie (/ˈmltr/; November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805) was an American slaveowning planter and politician who became a general in the American Revolutionary War. As colonel leading a state militia, in 1776 he prevented the British from taking Charleston, and Fort Moultrie was named in his honor.

After independence, Moultrie advanced as a politician; he was elected by the legislature twice within a decade as Governor of South Carolina (1785–1787, 1792–1794), serving two terms. (The state constitution kept power in the hands of the legislature and prohibited governors from serving two terms in succession.)