governor lawyer politician representative
He was born near Liberty Hill, Kershaw County, South Carolina, on November 17, 1795. His father Colonel Adam McWillie was in command of a regiment during the War of 1812, and William served as an adjutant in his father"s regiment in the war.
McWillie graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) in 1817.
He was a Democrat. McWillie was the last Governor of Mississippi prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. Then he began the study of law, being admitted to the bar in 1818. Between 1836 and 1840 he served in both the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
In 1845 he moved to Mississippi.
He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1849, serving from December 3, 1849 to March 3, 1851. In 1858 he became Governor of Mississippi, serving until 1860.
McWillie died in Kirkwood, Madison County, Mississippi, on March 3, 1869. He is buried in Kirkwood Cemetery, near Camden, Mississippi, the town he founded and named for his hometown of Camden, South Carolina.
Member South Carolina. Senate, 1836-1840; member United States House
