Samuel Farrow

Samuel Farrow (June 8, 1762 – November 18, 1824) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina and a prominent state political figure in the early nineteenth century. Born in Prince William County in the Colony of Virginia in 1762, he moved in childhood with his father’s family to South Carolina, where they settled in the Spartanburg District in 1765. Growing up on the South Carolina frontier during a period of mounting colonial unrest, Farrow came of age in an environment shaped by both agricultural life and the political tensions that preceded the American Revolution.

As a young man, Farrow served in the Revolutionary War, participating in the struggle that secured American independence. His wartime experience helped to establish his standing in the community and likely influenced his later commitment to public service. After the war, he turned his attention to professional advancement, pursuing legal studies at a time when formal law schools were rare and most training occurred through apprenticeship and self-directed reading.

Farrow studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1793. He commenced the practice of law in Spartanburg, South Carolina, building a career as an attorney in the upcountry region. In addition to his legal practice, he engaged in agricultural pursuits near Cross Anchor, South Carolina, managing plantation operations that were typical of the state’s agrarian economy in the post-Revolutionary period. This combination of legal and agricultural interests placed him among the professional and landed classes that increasingly shaped South Carolina’s political life.

Farrow’s prominence in state affairs grew steadily, and he attained one of South Carolina’s highest offices when he became the 24th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, serving from 1810 to 1812. In this role, he was part of the state’s executive leadership during a time of rising national tensions that would soon culminate in the War of 1812. His tenure as lieutenant governor enhanced his visibility and influence, positioning him for service at the national level.

In national politics, Farrow was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress, serving as a U.S. Representative from South Carolina from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1815. His term in Congress coincided with the War of 1812, a period marked by debates over military policy, trade restrictions, and relations with Great Britain. Representing his South Carolina constituency in the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative work of the wartime Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1814 and thus concluded his congressional service at the end of his first term.

After leaving Congress, Farrow resumed the practice of law and continued his involvement in agricultural pursuits. He remained active in state politics, serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1816 to 1819 and again from 1822 to 1823. Through these legislative terms, he contributed to the governance of South Carolina during a period of expansion and political realignment in the early republic, maintaining his role as a significant public figure in the upcountry.

Samuel Farrow died in Columbia, South Carolina, on November 18, 1824, while still a respected member of the state’s political and legal community. He was interred in the family burial ground on his plantation near the battlefield of Musgrove Mill, South Carolina, a site associated with Revolutionary War combat in the region where he had spent much of his life. His career, spanning military service in the Revolution, legal practice, agricultural management, state executive office, and both state and national legislative service, reflected the trajectory of many early American leaders who helped shape the political institutions of the new nation.