John Rutledge was born in South Carolina and was educated at home by his father and a tutor.
He then studied law in London and returned to South Carolina, where he practiced law and built a fortune.
He was politically active in South Carolina in the 1760s and 1770s, being elected to the Continental Congress and to the governorship.
When the British seized Charleston, Rutledge had to flee to North Carolina, where he gathered a force to recapture South Carolina.
He continued to be politically active through the 1780s.
At the Philadelphia Convention, he was an important delegate, speaking often and effectively.
He argued strongly for the interests of southern states.
Washington appointed Rutledge to the Supreme Court where he served a brief time, returning to South Carolina to serve on the state supreme court.
In 1795, Washington again appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court, this time as chief justice, but the Senate rejected his nomination.
