Henry McMaster

Henry McMaster
McMaster in 2022
117th Governor of South Carolina
Assumed office
January 24, 2017
LieutenantKevin L. Bryant
Pamela Evette
Preceded byNikki Haley
91st Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office
January 14, 2015 – January 24, 2017
GovernorNikki Haley
Preceded byYancey McGill
Succeeded byKevin L. Bryant
50th Attorney General of South Carolina
In office
January 15, 2003 – January 12, 2011
GovernorMark Sanford
Preceded byCharlie Condon
Succeeded byAlan Wilson
Chair of the South Carolina Republican Party
In office
May 8, 1993 – March 28, 2002
Preceded byBarry Wynn
Succeeded byKaton Dawson
United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina
In office
June 5, 1981[1] – July 1, 1985[2]
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byThomas Simpson[1]
Succeeded byVinton Lide[3]
Personal details
Born
Henry Dargan McMaster

(1947-05-27) May 27, 1947 (age 77)
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Peggy Anderson
(m. 1978)
Children2
ResidenceGovernor's Mansion
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA, JD)
WebsiteGovernment website
Campaign website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1969–1975
UnitUnited States Army Reserve

Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 50th Attorney General of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 2015 to 2017 under Governor Nikki Haley.

McMaster worked for U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, both in private practice and as a federal prosecutor. Appointed United States attorney for the District of South Carolina by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, he gained attention for investigating South Carolina marijuana smugglers in Operation Jackpot. McMaster was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina in 1986, losing to incumbent Democrat Fritz Hollings.[4] He was then defeated for lieutenant governor of South Carolina by Democrat Nick Theodore in 1990.

McMaster chaired the South Carolina Republican Party from 1993 to 2002.[5] He was elected attorney general in 2002 and reelected in 2006. In 2010, McMaster ran for governor but lost to Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. In 2011, Haley appointed him to the South Carolina Ports Authority. McMaster was then elected lieutenant governor of South Carolina under Haley's governorship in 2014. McMaster succeeded to the office of governor in 2017 when Haley resigned to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He won a full four-year term in the 2018 gubernatorial election after narrowly winning a runoff for the Republican nomination and defeating Democratic nominee James E. Smith Jr. in the general election. He won reelection against Democratic nominee Joe Cunningham in 2022.[6]

  1. ^ a b "6 Jun 1981, 12 - The Times and Democrat at Newspapers.com".
  2. ^ "30 Jun 1985, Page 3 - The Index-Journal at Newspapers.com".
  3. ^ "6 Aug 1985, 12 - The Times and Democrat at Newspapers.com".
  4. ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1987). The Almanac of American Politics 1988. p. 1080. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "McMaster for Governor". Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "SC Election Results". New York Times.