![James Hammond in a dark suit.](/sites/default/files/2021-05/James%20Hammond%20640x480.png)
James Hammond. Wikimedia Commons.
(1807-1864) Born in Newberry County, SC, James Hammond was a politician who served as a US Representative, US Senator, and governor of South Carolina. An outspoken defender of slavery and states’ rights, Hammond popularized the phrase "Cotton is King."