Hampton, Wade (1818–1902), a United States politician and Confederate army officer. At the opening of the Civil War, Hampton raised a body of infantry, cavalry, and artillery called “Hampton's Legion.” He was made a brigadier general in 1862, second in command to General “Jeb” Stuart. After Stuart's death in 1864, Hampton succeeded him as commander of cavalry in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. At the end of the war, Hampton was a lieutenant general. After the war, he supported the moderate Reconstruction policies of President Johnson. His election as a conservative Democrat to the governorship of South Carolina in 1876 ended the rule of the Radical Republicans in that state.
Hampton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of a wealthy planter. He graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) in 1836 and was a member of the state legislature, 1852–61. He resigned as governor in 1879 after his election to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1891.
