Wilson, John Lyde | South Carolina Public Radio

“W” is for Wilson, John Lyde [1784-1849]. Governor. From 1806 to 1822 Wilson served in both the South Carolina House and Senate. Elected governor in 1822, he proved to be an ardent advocate of states’ rights and promoted legislative resolutions denouncing federal authority. He was less diligent in maintaining the financial records of his office and was threatened with impeachment. In 1838, Wilson published Code of Honor: or Rules for the Government of Principals and Seconds in Duelling. Despite his assertions that the code would save lives, it required that any man refusing to fight be publicly labeled a coward. Code of Honor was so popular that it was reprinted in 1858 and 1878. John Lyde Wilson wished that his code of honor would be employed by gentlemen “until the advent of the millennium.”