Elizabeth Wragg Manigault


Elizabeth Wragg Manigault was a prominent figure of colonial South Carolinian society. She was the wife of Peter Manigault, who served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives and was one of the wealthiest people in British North America.

Biography

Manigault was born on 9 August 1736 to Joseph Wragg and Judith DuBose. Her father, an Englishman of Welsh descent, was a pioneer of the Atlantic slave trade. One of the predominant slave traders in the British North American colonies, he and his brother were responsible for the importation of around 10,000 enslaved Africans. Manigault's mother was the daughter of Huguenot immigrants. Her maternal grandfather, Jacques DuBose, owned a large plantation near Charles Town. Her sister, Mary, was the wife of the slave trader and statesman Benjamin Smith.
In 1757 she was painted by Jeremiah Theus. The portrait is now on display at the Charleston Museum.
In 1775 she married Peter Manigault, an attorney, planter, and member of the South Carolina House of Commons. Their children included:
Her husband was later elected as Speaker of the House of Commons.
She died on February 19, 1773. She is buried at the French Huguenot Church.
Elizabeth Street in Wraggborough is named after her.