Hunter, John

Congressman, U.S. senator. Little is known about Hunter’s early life. His date of birth and parents are unknown. He engaged in preparatory studies before pursuing agriculture interests near the present-day town of Newberry. He owned considerable real estate, including 640 acres on Twenty Three Mile and Eighteen Mile Creeks in Pendleton District as well as landholdings in other locations. In 1785 Hunter won election to the General Assembly from the Little River District (modern Laurens County) and served until 1790. In 1788 he sat as a delegate from Little River at the state convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution, which he supported. He attended the state constitutional convention in 1790 and served on the committee of privileges. The following year Hunter was elected as the first representative to the General Assembly from the newly created Laurens County. In 1793 he was elected to Congress by the voters of Ninety Six District. After losing a U.S. Senate bid in 1794, Hunter was subsequently chosen by the General Assembly to complete the unexpired term of U.S. Senator Pierce Butler. Taking his seat on January 27, 1797, Hunter served in the U.S. Senate until November 26, 1798, when he resigned and returned to his agriculture pursuits. He served as a presidential elector for the George Washington–John Adams ticket in 1792 and for the Thomas Jefferson–Aaron Burr ticket in 1800. Hunter died in December 1802 and was buried in the Presbyterian Church cemetery at Little River, Newberry County. He was survived by his wife, Sarah, and nine children.

Bailey, N. Louise, and Elizabeth Ivey Cooper, eds. Biographical Directory of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Vol. 3, 1775–1790. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1981.