“B” is for Blake, Joseph [1663-1700]. Governor. Born in England, Blake was a leader of the Dissenter political faction in South Carolina and a supporter of the Lords Proprietors in their disputes with local political leaders. He was in the colony by 1689 and shortly thereafter was named a proprietary deputy and member of the Grand Council. From 1696 to 1700 Blake was acting governor. His term was marked by local disputes and conflict with the British Surveyor of customs who accused the governor of bribery, fraud, trading with pirates and the Spanish in Florida, and abuses of British customs laws. The Surveyor’s reports back to England led to a sweeping review of all proprietary charters in America. Joseph Blake’s death led to a power struggle in the colony over his successor.
Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.