Henry William de Saussure, Sr.

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• Henry William de Saussure (August 16, 1763 – March 26, 1839) was an American lawyer, state legislator and jurist from South Carolina who became a political leader as a member of the Federalist Party following the Revolutionary War. He was appointed by President George Washington as the 2nd Director of the United States Mint, was a co-sponsor of the legislation that established the South Carolina College which was to become the University of South Carolina and was given the title of Chancellor as a justice of the SC Equity Court, also known as chancery court. In this capacity he wrote and codified much of the state's equity law still in use today. He served as Intendant (Mayor) of both Charleston and Columbia, SC. read more...

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Henry de Saussure was a member and later chief justice of the court of chancery which was the same as the SC Court of Appeals. Original minature portrait is now in the possession of Anderson House Museum of the Society of the Cincinnati, Washington, DC. Until 1954, this was part of the family collection and archives then located at 45 Legare Street.

Following the French Revolution and because of undeclared hostilities between the US and France during the 1790's, the family name in South Carolina was restyled as Desaussure. Eventually the original style was restored to deSaussure or DeSaussure.

The scion of the family after his father Daniel died in 1799. He was intendent or mayor of both Charleston and Columbia and a member of the state legislature and co-sponsor of the bill which eventually established the University of South Carolina. He was appointed the 3rd Director of the US Mint in Philadelphia by President Washington and during his brief tenure in that position oversaw the striking of the first gold coins to be issued by the US Treasury.

He was married to Elizabeth Ford of Morristown, NJ, who was the sister of his Princeton College classmate, Timothy Ford.

Among other locations his primary residences in Charleston were at what is now known as 58 Meeting Street and 16 Montagu Street. His Columbia residence was demolished c.1950 and was located near the intersection of Gervais and Bull Streets.

He was born near his emigre grandfather Henri's home at Pocotaligo, in the southern part of South Carolina and on the line which now separates Beaufort and Jasper counties.

His parents and grandparents were associated with the Presbyterian and Huguenot communities aliened with Stony Creek Church which placed them in a strategic position to compete and cooperate with the political and business interests of Prince William Parish. Many from the same community and by their family associations moved easily into the mainstream of the affairs of South Carolina and the Federal Republic following the American Revolution. From the mid 1700's until about 1840, the fortunes of three generations from this region rose.

Henry de Saussure died in Columbia in 1839 and was buried there at the First Presbyterian Churchyard.