Miles Benjamin McSweeney

Miles Benjamin McSweeney (April 18, 1855 – September 29, 1909) was the 87th Governor of South Carolina from June 2, 1899, to January 20, 1903.

Miles Benjamin McSweeney
87th Governor of South Carolina
In office June 2, 1899 – January 20, 1903
Lieutenant	Robert B. Scarborough James H. Tillman
Preceded by	William Haselden Ellerbe
Succeeded by	Duncan Clinch Heyward
62nd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office January 18, 1897 – June 2, 1899
Governor	William Haselden Ellerbe
Preceded by	W.H. Timmerman
Succeeded by	Robert B. Scarborough
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Hampton County
In office November 27, 1894 – January 12, 1897
Personal details
Born	April 18, 1855 Charleston, South Carolina
Died	September 29, 1909 (aged 54) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Washington and Lee University
Profession	Newspaper editor

McSweeney was born in Charleston and was forced to become a paperboy at the age of 10 in order to help support his family when his father died. He went to Lexington, Virginia to attend Washington and Lee University upon being awarded the Typographical Union of Charleston Scholarship, but later had to withdraw due to lack of funds. He published the Ninety-Six Guardian at the age of 22 and he moved to Hampton two years later to start the Hampton County Guardian.

In 1894, McSweeney was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives and additionally served as the chairman of the Hampton County Democratic Party. He successfully ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1896 and was elevated to the governorship following the death of Governor William Haselden Ellerbe on June 2, 1899. A proponent of the state Dispensary and backed by Senator Ben Tillman, McSweeney won a term on his own in the gubernatorial election of 1900. However, many in Hampton were in favor of prohibition and the Hampton County Guardian lost advertising revenue and subscriptions because of McSweeney's support of the Dispensary.

Upon the completion of his term as governor in 1903, McSweeney returned to Hampton and continued as editor of the Hampton County Guardian. He died in Baltimore on September 29, 1909, and was buried at Hampton Cemetery in Hampton.

External links

• SCIway Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeney
• NGA Biography of Miles Benjamin McSweeney
• The Political Graveyard Brief of Miles Benjamin McSweeney
• History of the Hampton County Guardian