Franklin J. Moses Jr.

Franklin Moses
75th Governor of South Carolina
In office
December 7, 1872 – December 1, 1874
LieutenantRichard Howell Gleaves
Preceded byRobert Kingston Scott
Succeeded byDaniel Henry Chamberlain
27th Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives
In office
November 24, 1868 – November 26, 1872
GovernorRobert Kingston Scott
Preceded byCharles Henry Simonton
Succeeded bySamuel Lee
Adjutant-General of South Carolina
In office
July 6, 1868 – December 7, 1872
GovernorRobert Kingston Scott
Preceded byAlbert Garlington
Succeeded byHenry Purvis
Personal details
BornJanuary 1, 1838 (1838-01)
Sumter District, South Carolina, U.S.
Died (aged 67–68)
Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEmma Buford Richardson (1869–1878)
Children4
EducationUniversity of South Carolina

Franklin Israel Moses Jr. (January 1, 1838 – December 11, 1906) was a South Carolina lawyer and editor who became active as a Republican politician in the state during the Reconstruction Era. He was elected to the legislature in 1868 and as governor in 1872, serving into 1874. Enemies labelled him the 'Robber Governor'.

A secessionist before the war, Moses was ready to make alliances afterward. He served in the state legislature from 1868 to 1872, where he was elected as speaker of the House.[1] He supported integration of the state university, establishing new social programs and public funding of old-age pensions, and created a black militia to help protect freedmen from white paramilitary insurgents. He was also unusual for hosting African Americans socially, both as a governor and as a private citizen.[2]

When Moses was young, his middle initial was confused for the letter J, and thereafter he became known simply as Franklin J. Moses Jr.; his father also adopted use of the "J."[3] His father, Franklin J. Moses Sr., was an attorney who served as a South Carolina state senator for more than 20 years; in 1866 he was elected as judge to the circuit court, and in 1868 as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court.

  1. ^ "South Carolina During the Late 1800s - the 48th General Assembly (1868-1870)".
  2. ^ Ginsberg, 2010, p. 2.
  3. ^ Gregorie, p. 94-95, 326–637.