AIKEN, William (cousin of David Wyatt Aiken), a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charleston, S.C.,
January 28, 1806; attended private schools; was graduated
from the College of South Carolina (now the University of
South Carolina) at Columbia in 1825; engaged in agricultural pursuits; member of the State house of representatives
1838-1842; served in the State senate 1842-1844; Governor
of South Carolina 1844-1846; elected as a Democrat to the
Thirty-second, Thirty-third, and Thirty-fourth Congresses
(March 4, 1851-March 3, 1857); was an unsuccessful candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives after
133 ballots in the Thirty-fourth Congress; was not a candidate for renomination in 1856; presented credentials as
a Member-elect to the Thirty-ninth Congress February 12,
1867, but was not permitted to qualify; resumed his former
pursuits near Charleston, S.C.; died at Flat Rock, Henderson
County, N.C., September 6, 1887; interment in Magnolia
Cemetery, Charleston, S.C.
