Alexander GILLON, Congress, SC (1741-1794)

GILLON, Alexander, a Representative from South Carolina; born in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1741; pursued an academic course; immigrated to London, England, and engaged in commerce; in 1766 settled in Charleston and established a large business; delegate to the Second Provincial Congress of South Carolina in 1775 and 1776; member of the first general assembly in 1776; was elected captain of the German Fusiliers of Charleston in May 1775; commodore of the South Carolina Navy in 1778 and was sent to France to procure vessels; joined the fleet of Spanish vessels in the capture of the Bahama Islands May 8, 1782; elected to the Continental Congress in 1784, but did not attend; delegate to the State convention which ratified the Federal Constitution in 1788; elected as an Anti-Administration candidate to the Third Congress and served from March 4, 1793, until his death at his plantation, “Gillon’s Retreat,” Orangeburg District, S.C., October 6, 1794; interment in the family burial ground at “Gillon’s Retreat,” Calhoun County, S.C.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present