William Drayton, Sr.

For other men with the same name, see: William Drayton (disambiguation).

William Drayton (March 21, 1732 – May 18, 1790) was an American lawyer and jurist from South Carolina.

Born in Ashley River, South Carolina, Drayton was educated in the Middle Temple, in London, England in 1754. He read law to enter the South Carolina Bar in 1756, and was thereafter a Justice of the peace for Berkeley County, South Carolina until 1763. From 1763 to 1780, he was Chief justice for the Province of East Florida. In 1789, he was a judge of the South Carolina Admiralty Court, and an associate judge of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

On November 18, 1789, Drayton received a recess appointment from President George Washington to become the first judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, a new seat created by 1 Stat. 73. He was formally nominated on February 8, 1790, and was confirmed by the United States Senate, and received his commission, on February 10, 1790. He served until his death, in South Carolina.

Drayton's son, William Drayton, became a Congressman for South Carolina.

External links

• William Drayton, Sr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.