Peter Manigault

Peter Manigault (October 10, 1731 -- November 12, 1773) was a Charleston, South Carolina attorney, plantation owner, and colonial legislator. He was regarded as the wealthiest man in the British North American colonies at the time of his death.

Manigault (pronounced MAN-eh-go) was born in Charleston on October 10, 1731, and was part of a wealthy French Huguenot immigrant family. He was privately educated in the Province of South Carolina and in England, traveled extensively in Europe, studied law at London's Inner Temple, and was called to the British bar in 1752.

He returned to South Carolina in 1754, where he practiced law, became a successful merchant and banker, and managed his family's slaves and extensive plantation holdings. By 1770 Manigault was considered to be the wealthiest person in the British North American colonies, with his net worth of approximately £33,000 in 1770 equal to approximately $4 million in 2016.

Manigault served in the South Carolina House of Commons in 1755, and again from 1766 to 1773. From 1765 to 1772 he was Speaker of the House. He actively opposed the British Stamp Act 1765, and was identified with what became known as the Patriot cause.

In 1773 Manigault's health worsened, and he left South Carolina for England in an effort to find a cure.

Manigault's health did not improve, and he died in London on November 12, 1773. He was buried at French Protestant Huguenot Church Cemetery in Charleston.

Manigault was a descendant of Pierre Manigault, a French Huguenot who settled in the Santee area and became a successful rice planter.

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