On June 27, 1777, James Parsons became the second and last Vice President of South Carolina. This unusual executive title was created under the state’s radical, temporary constitution of 1776, which sought to establish an independent government while avoiding the monarchical connotations of titles like Governor. Parsons, who was born in Ireland and immigrated to South Carolina in 1750, was a prominent lawyer and served as a colonel during the American Revolution.
His tenure in this uniquely titled position was short-lived. By 1778, South Carolina ratified a new state constitution that officially retired the title of Vice President, replacing it with the more conventional role of Lieutenant Governor to better align with the emerging federal structure of the United States. Parsons stepped down from the role, and the brief era of state-level vice presidents drew to a permanent close.
The captivating dynamic of Parsons’ story is rooted in the immense wealth and social influence he wielded in the lowcountry. Unlike many Irish immigrants who arrived in the colonies as impoverished indentured servants, Parsons came equipped with legal training and quickly amassed a massive fortune through land acquisitions and the slave trade. His ascent to the second-highest office in the state underscores how deeply the early revolutionary leadership in the South was tied to the planter class. Despite his radical choice to back a revolution against the British Crown, Parsons used his political power to fiercely protect the rigid, aristocratic social order of Charleston.
