Wayne, Arthur TrezevantOrnithologist. Wayne was born in Blackville on January 1, 1863, where his parents, Daniel Gabriel Wayne and Harriott Ward, had…
Whaley, William Burroughs SmithArchitect, engineer. W. B. Smith Whaley was born on May 24, 1866, in Charleston, the son of William Baynard Whaley,…
Whipper, William J.Legislator. Whipper was one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina’s Reconstruction government. He was born free…
White PrimaryParty primary elections were introduced in the nineteenth century. They were touted as a more democratic means of nominating candidates…
White, Benjamin FranklinComposer, author. White was born on September 10, 1800, in the Padgett’s Creek section of Union District, the youngest of…
White, Edward BrickellArchitect. Known for his Gothic-revival designs and knowledge of Greek and Roman architecture, White was the preeminent Charleston architect of…
Whittaker, Johnson ChesnutSlave, West Point cadet, lawyer, educator. Whittaker was born on August 23, 1858, on the Camden plantation of James Chesnut,…
Wigfall, Louis TrezevantU.S. senator. Lewis Trezevant Wigfall was born in Edgefield District on April 21, 1816, the son of Levi Durand Wigfall…
Wilkinson, Marion BirnieSocial reformer, black women’s club leader. Wilkinson was born in Charleston on June 23, 1870, to Richard Birnie and Anna…
Wilkinson, Robert ShawCollege president. Wilkinson was born on February 18, 1865, in Charleston, the son of Charles Henry Wilkinson and Lavinia Smith…
Wilson, Charles CokerArchitect. Wilson was born on November 20, 1864, in Hartsville to Dr. Furman Edwards Wilson and Jane Lide Coker. He…
Wilson, RobertPhysician, educator. Wilson was born at Stateburg on August 23, 1867, the son of the Reverend Robert Wilson, M.D., and…
Woodrow, JamesScientist, educator, college president. Born in Carlisle, England, on May 30, 1828, James Woodrow, son of Reverend Thomas Woodrow and…
Woodside, John ThomasTextile mill owner, entrepreneur. Woodside was born in Greenville County on May 9, 1864, the son of John Lawrence Woodside,…
Wright, Elizabeth EvelynEducator. Wright was born in Talbotton, Georgia, on April 3, 1872, the seventh of twenty-one children born to the African…
Wright, Jonathan JasperWright’s prominent role in the state constitutional convention won him wide praise. After narrowly losing the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor at the party’s 1868 convention, Wright was elected to the state Senate from Beaufort County, making him among the state’s first African American legislators.
Wright, Mary Honor FarrowEducator. Born into slavery on August 11, 1862, in Spartanburg, Wright was the youngest of three daughters of Lott and…
Wylie, Walker GillNot only did Wylie bring new ideas into the medical community, by the mid1890s he had become interested in engineering and the process of converting water into electricity. Wylie partnered with James Buchanan Duke to create Duke Power Company, now Duke Energy Corporation.
Young, Virginia Durant CovingtonYoung’s career followed the pattern of many suffragists. After active participation in Baptist missionary societies, she joined the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1886. Suffrage appealed as an avenue to temperance goals.
