13 things about 117th South Carolina governor Henry McMaster

Henry Dargan McMaster is an American politician from South Carolina, United States. He is a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the Republican Party.

BIOGRAPHY

McMaster is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. He is the eldest son of John Gregg McMaster Jr. and Ida Bacot “Pet” Dargan McMaster, who were both born in Florence, Florence County, South Carolina.

John is Dr. John Gregg McMaster Sr. and Eleanor Gourdin McMaster‘s son. Pet is Henry Flinn Dargan and Elizabeth Marshall Barnwell Dargan‘s daughter.

Henry McMaster and Peggy Anderson have two children together. Here are 10 more things about him:

1. In 1969, he graduated from the University of South Carolina in Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in history.
2. From 1969 to 1975, he served in the U.S. Army.
3. In 1973, he graduated from the Joseph F. Rice School of Law of the University of South Carolina.
4. In 1978, he married Anderson.
5. From June 5, 1981 to July 1, 1985, he was the U.S. attorney for the district of South Carolina.
6. From May 8, 1993 to March 28, 2002, he was the chair of the South Carolina Republican Party.
7. From January 15, 2003 to January 12, 2011, he served as the 50th attorney general of South Carolina.
8. In 2010, he ran for governor in South Carolina but lost to Nikki Haley.
9. In 2011, Haley appointed him to the South Carolina Ports Authority, which is based in Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, South Carolina.
10. From January 14, 2015 to January 24, 2017, he served as the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina.
11. In 2018, he was elected as the South Carolina governor.
12. In 2022, he was reelected as the South Carolina governor.
13. On May 27, 2024, he turned 77.

TIMELINE

In 1973, Henry McMaster was admitted to the Richland County Bar Association of the South Carolina Bar. Until 1974, he worked in Washington, D.C., USA as a legislative assistant to Strom Thurmond, a U.S. senator from South Carolina from November 7, 1956 to January 3, 2003.

2008

• On September 22, 2008, his mother turned 88.

2009

• On August 15, 2009, his mother died in Columbia.

2014

• On March 16, 2014, his father turned 100.

2015

• On February 20, 2015, his father died in Columbia.

2016

• On January 27, 2016, he officially endorsed Donald Trump, who formally launched his U.S. presidential campaign on June 16, 2015.

2017

• On January 24, 2017, he assumed office as the 117th governor of South Carolina after Haley resigned her position to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

2018

• On November 6, 2018, he won a full four-year term in the gubernatorial election in South Carolina.

2019

• On August 31, 2019, he issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency and urged residents of South Carolina to prepare for the possibility of Hurricane Dorian impacting the state. 

2020

• On April 20, 2020, he reopened beaches and retail stores in South Carolina amid the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

2021

• On February 18, 2021, he signed a bill into law that would ban most abortions.

2022

• On November 8, 2022, he defeated his Democratic opponent Joe Cunningham in the gubernatorial election in South Carolina.

2023

• On May 31, 2023, he directed the deployment of South Carolina National Guard troops to the U.S. Southern border in Texas to work with U.S. Border Patrol agents.

2024

• On February 24, 2024, he, Trump and Pamela Everette attended an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia.

2025

• On January 29, 2025, he was recognized as the longest serving governor of South Carolina.
• On April 17, 2025, Trump appointed him to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which is part of the executive office of the U.S. president.