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Henry McMaster

Governor of South Carolina — currently serving. Party, term history, and sourced provenance. Sections fill in as records land.

Henry McMaster

Republican South Carolina 2017–present In office

Born May 27, 1947

Terms

  1. Governor of South Carolina Republican Current

    January 24, 2017 → present

Background

  • background Born May 27, 1947, Columbia, South Carolina; University of South Carolina (BA); University of South Carolina School of Law (JD); attorney; Republican.
  • background U.S. attorney District South Carolina (appointed Reagan, 1981); investigated South Carolina marijuana smugglers (Operation Jackpot).
  • role South Carolina Republican Party chairman (1993–2002); 50th Attorney General South Carolina (2003–2011); elected 2002, reelected 2006.
  • role 91st Lieutenant Governor South Carolina (2015–2017); became 117th Governor (2017–present) upon Nikki Haley's resignation.
  • achievement Elected full governor term (2018) after Republican runoff; reelected (2022); South Carolina's longest-serving governor (January 29, 2025).
  • achievement Third-longest serving incumbent U.S. governor (as of 2025); appointed Homeland Security Advisory Council by Trump (April 17, 2025).

Governors lead the executive branch of their state. Browse other officials in People, or read how state and federal offices fit together in the civics primer. Coverage is honest — current governors plus recent history.