Henry McMaster
Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 50th Attorney General of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 2015 to 2017 under Governor Nikki Haley.
Henry McMaster | |
|---|---|
McMaster in 2022 | |
| 117th Governor of South Carolina | |
| Assumed office January 24, 2017 | |
| Lieutenant | Kevin L. Bryant Pamela Evette |
| Preceded by | Nikki Haley |
| 91st Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office January 14, 2015 – January 24, 2017 | |
| Governor | Nikki Haley |
| Preceded by | Yancey McGill |
| Succeeded by | Kevin L. Bryant |
| 50th Attorney General of South Carolina | |
| In office January 15, 2003 – January 12, 2011 | |
| Governor | Mark Sanford |
| Preceded by | Charlie Condon |
| Succeeded by | Alan Wilson |
| Chair of the South Carolina Republican Party | |
| In office May 8, 1993 – March 28, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Barry Wynn |
| Succeeded by | Katon Dawson |
| United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina | |
| In office June 5, 1981 – July 1, 1985 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Thomas Simpson |
| Succeeded by | Vinton Lide |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Dargan McMaster May 27, 1947 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Peggy Anderson (m. 1978) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | University of South Carolina (BA, JD) |
| Website | Government website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1969–1975 |
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
McMaster worked for U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, both in private practice and as a federal prosecutor. Appointed United States attorney for the District of South Carolina by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, he gained attention for investigating South Carolina marijuana smugglers in Operation Jackpot. McMaster was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina in 1986, losing to incumbent Democrat Fritz Hollings. He was then defeated for lieutenant governor of South Carolina by Democrat Nick Theodore in 1990.
McMaster chaired the South Carolina Republican Party from 1993 to 2002. He was elected attorney general in 2002 and reelected in 2006. In 2010, McMaster ran for governor but lost to Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. In 2011, Haley appointed him to the South Carolina Ports Authority. McMaster was then elected lieutenant governor of South Carolina under Haley's governorship in 2014. McMaster succeeded to the office of governor in 2017 when Haley resigned to become the United States ambassador to the United Nations. He won a full four-year term in the 2018 gubernatorial election after narrowly winning a runoff for the Republican nomination and defeating Democratic nominee James E. Smith Jr. in the general election. He won reelection against Democratic nominee Joe Cunningham in 2022.