William Aiken (Congressional Biographical Dictionary)

AIKEN, William, (cousin of David Wyatt Aiken), a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charleston, S.C., January 28, 1806; attended private schools; was graduated from the College of South Carolina (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1825; engaged in agricultural pursuits; member of the State house of representatives 1838-1842; served in the State senate 1842-1844; Governor of South Carolina 1844-1846; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second, Thirty-third, and Thirty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1857); was an unsuccessful candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives after 133 ballots in the Thirty-fourth Congress; was not a candidate for renomination in 1856; presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Thirty-ninth Congress February 12, 1867, but was not permitted to qualify; resumed his former pursuits near Charleston, S.C.; died at Flat Rock, Henderson County, N.C., September 6, 1887; interment in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C.