Born in South Carolina in 1746, Thomas Heyward, Jr. received an education at home and went on to study law in England. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. Heyward returned to South Carolina in 1778 and served as a Judge, but was later captured by the British during the siege of Charleston while commanding a Militia force. After the war, he resumed his Judgeship until his retirement in 1798.
