James Reid Pringle (1782-1840) was a central figure among Charleston's wealthy political and economic elite,leveraging his positions in local and federal government alongside his extensive activities as a prominent enslaver. He served as the 30th Intendant (Mayor) of Charleston,South Carolina (1830–1831),as President of the South Carolina Senate,and for over two decades held the powerful federal appointment of Collector of Customs for the Port of Charleston. He was the son of Robert Alexander Pringle and Mary Reid.
Pringle represented Charleston's St. Philip and St. Michael parishes in the South Carolina General Assembly from 1808 to 1813. He then served three sessions in the South Carolina Senate from 1814 to 1819 and served as the president of the Senate starting in 1818.[1] He resigned when he was appointed as United States Collector for the Port of Charleston in 1819.[2][3]
He was elected intendant on September 6,1830,[4] in what was described as "one of the hottest elections ever contested in Charleston" in a race between the Unionists (Pringle) and Nullifiers (Henry L. Pinckney).[5] Both candidates supported President Andrew Jackson,but the issue of nullification predominated the contest.[6] The turnout for the election was thought to have been the highest ever for a municipal contest;Pringle secured 838 votes while Laurens got 754.[7] He served a single term before being beaten by the same candidate,Henry L. Pinckney,in September 1831.[8]
Pringle was nominated for another term as Collector of Customs for Charleston in January 1832 in anticipation of the end of his current term on January 29,1832.[9] He was nominated again for the same post in anticipation of the end of his current term on January 29,1840.[10]
History as an Enslaver
Pringle's wealth and socio-political status were deeply intertwined with human bondage. He owned multiple rice plantations in the South Carolina low country,where he exploited enslaved labor to cultivate large-scale rice crops. Legal,census,and probate records document his long-term involvement in buying,holding,end exploiting enslaved captives.[11][12][13][14][15]
James Reid Pringle's Enslavement Records (1820-1840)
Record Type / Date
Details of Enslavement Activity
Bill of Sale (February 19,1820)
Purchased an enslaved woman named Amey for $400.[11]
1820 US Census
Documented as holding 9 enslaved captives in Charleston.[12]
1830 US Census
Documented as holding 19 enslaved captives in Charleston Ward 2.[13]
Bill of Sale (March 15,1836)
Purchased five enslaved captives named Amaritta,Lucy,Charleston,Minus,and Flora for $1,850.[14]
Probate Inventory
After his death,his estate inventory listed 43 unnamed enslaved captives who were sold for a price of $400 each to settle his estate.[15]
He died on July 11,1840,[16] and is buried in St. Michael's Episcopal churchyard,Charleston,Charleston County,South Carolina.[17]
References
↑"New-York, Dec. 7". The Republican Agriculturalist. Norwich, New York. December 24, 1818. p.1. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
↑"Appointments by the President". The Southern Patriot. Charleston, South Carolina. February 4, 1840. p.2. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
12"South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of sales of Negro slaves, 1774-1872", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68SH-B2XQ: Thu Apr 17 15:29:30 UTC 2025), Jas R Pringle, 19 Feb 1820.
12"1820 United States Federal Census", Fourth Census of the United States, 1820; Census Place: Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; Page: 46; NARA Roll: M33_119; Image: 103, James R. Pringle in Chalreston, South Carolina, USA.
12"1830 United States Federal Census", Year: 1830; Census Place: Charleston Ward 2, Charleston, South Carolina; Series: M19; Roll: 170; Page: 34; Family History Library Film: 0022504, James R. Pringle in Charleston Ward 2, Charelston, South Carolina, USA.
12"South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of sales of Negro slaves, 1774-1872", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W1XV-4GPZ: Thu Apr 17 15:26:55 UTC 2025), James R Pringle, 15 Mar 1836.
12South Carolina, Probate Records, Bound Volumes, 1671-1977, Film #004754687, FamilySearch web site, Charleston, Inventories, Appraisements, Sales, 1839-1844, Vol. A, Image 116 of 636, FamilySearch Image: 939L-JD9D-JQ (accessed October 14, 2026).
↑"James Reid Pringle". Halsey Map Project. Preservation Society of Charleston. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
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