Franklin J. Moses Jr.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Franklin Moses
75th Governor of South Carolina
In office December 7, 1872 – December 1, 1874
Lieutenant	Richard Howell Gleaves
Preceded by	Robert Kingston Scott
Succeeded by	Daniel Henry Chamberlain
27th Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives
In office November 24, 1868 – November 26, 1872
Governor	Robert Kingston Scott
Preceded by	Charles Henry Simonton
Succeeded by	Samuel Lee
Adjutant-General of South Carolina
In office July 6, 1868 – December 7, 1872
Governor	Robert Kingston Scott
Preceded by	Albert Garlington
Succeeded by	Henry Purvis
Personal details
Born	January 1, 1838 (1838-01) Sumter District, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 11, 1906 (aged 67–68) Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Emma Buford Richardson (1869–1878)
Children	4
Education	University of South Carolina

Franklin Israel Moses Jr. (January 1, 1838 – December 11, 1906) was a South Carolina lawyer and editor who became active as a Republican politician in the state during the Reconstruction Era. He was elected to the legislature in 1868 and as governor in 1872, serving into 1874. Enemies labelled him the 'Robber Governor'.

A secessionist before the war, Moses was ready to make alliances afterward. He served in the state legislature from 1868 to 1872, where he was elected as speaker of the House.^[1] He supported integration of the state university, establishing new social programs and public funding of old-age pensions, and created a black militia to help protect freedmen from white paramilitary insurgents. He was also unusual for hosting African Americans socially, both as a governor and as a private citizen.^[2]

When Moses was young, his middle initial was confused for the letter J, and thereafter he became known simply as Franklin J. Moses Jr.; his father also adopted use of the "J."^[3] His father, Franklin J. Moses Sr., was an attorney who served as a South Carolina state senator for more than 20 years; in 1866 he was elected as judge to the circuit court, and in 1868 as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court.