South Carolina: Presidents of the State: 1776-1779
| President and Commander-in-Chief in and over the State of South Carolina [1] | |
| 28 Mar 1776 - 5 Mar 1778 | John Rutledge [2] |
| 5 Mar 1778 - 11 Mar 1778 | office vacant [3] |
| 11 Mar 1778 - 8 Feb 1779 | Rawlins Lowndes |
- The Constitution of 26 Mar 1776 did not make any explicit provision with regard to the official name of the state; "Colony of South Carolina" as part of the style was in official use until some time after 5 Aug 1776 when it was substituted with "State of South Carolina".
- Rutledge was elected at the joint session of the General Assembly and Legislative Council on 26 Mar 1776 and took the oath of office on 28 Mar 1776.
- The resignation of Rutledge was accepted on 5 Mar 1778. Arthur Middleton was elected President on 7 Mar 1778, but declined to accept office. On 7 Mar 1778 Lowndes was elected and took the oath on 11 Mar 1778.