Inspirational Quotes by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (American Statesman)

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746–1825) was an American statesman, soldier, and diplomat known for his role in the American Revolution and early U.S. politics. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, a Federalist presidential candidate, and a key figure in U.S.-France relations during the XYZ Affair.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Pinckney was educated in England, attending Christ Church College-Oxford, and studying law at the Middle Temple. He returned to South Carolina in 1769, practicing law before joining the Revolutionary cause. Serving as an aide-de-camp to George Washington, he fought in the Battle of Brandywine and was captured during the Siege of Charleston (1780.)

After the war, Pinckney attended the Constitutional Convention (1787,) advocating a strong federal government and protections for Southern economic interests. He later served as U.S. Minister to France (1796,) where he refused to pay bribes during the XYZ Affair. He ran unsuccessfully as the Federalist candidate for vice president (1800) and president (1804, 1808.)

Pinckney also contributed to agriculture and education, serving as president of the South Carolina Agricultural Society and helping found South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina.)

Biographies include Edward St. Germain’s Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Founding Father and Diplomat (1996,) exploring his role in early American politics, and South Carolina Encyclopedia’s Pinckney and the American Revolution (2010,) examining his contributions to the Revolutionary War.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney