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American politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Scott Cogswell Jr. (born January 14, 1975) is an American politician and businessman who is mayor of the city of Charleston. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 110th District from 2016 to 2022. Cogswell was elected mayor in 2023 after defeating incumbent John Tecklenburg and is the first Republican mayor of Charleston since 1877.
William Cogswell | |
---|---|
Mayor of Charleston | |
Assumed office January 8, 2024[1] | |
Preceded by | John Tecklenburg |
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 110th district | |
In office November 14, 2016 – November 14, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Chip Limehouse |
Succeeded by | Tom Hartnett Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | William Scott Cogswell January 14, 1975 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Lucile Lampton |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of the South (BA) Columbia University (MS) |
William Cogswell was born on January 14, 1975, in Charleston, South Carolina.[2] He is a distant relative of Colonel Milton Cogswell, who was named a provisional Mayor of Charleston in 1868.[3]
Cogswell graduated from The University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and English. He earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 2003.[4]
A member of the Republican Party, Cogswell served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 110th District from 2016 to 2022.[5][6]
Cogswell was elected mayor on November 21, 2023 after defeating incumbent John Tecklenburg in a runoff.[7][8][9][10] He is the first Republican mayor of Charleston since 1877.[11][12]
Endorsements for Cogswell included South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, state Representative Mark Smith, and state Senator Larry Grooms.[13] South Carolina Republican Party chair Drew McKissick said in a press statement that Cogswell's victory represented a "shifting momentum," referencing Republican mayors elected in South Carolina's largest cities: Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston.[14][15]
Cogswell endorsed Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race.[16]
On December 15, 2023, Cogswell announced his appointment of senior staff:
Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 Republican Primary[18] | William S. Cogswell Jr. | 1,051 | 34.4% | Russell Guerard | 792 | 25.9% | Trey Harrell | 626 | 20.5% | Eddie Phipps | 537 | 17.6% | |||||
2016 Republican Primary Runoff[19] | William S. Cogswell Jr. | 1,063 | 52.8% | Russell Guerard | 951 | 47.2% | |||||||||||
2016 General Election[20] | William S. Cogswell Jr. | 11,961 | 65.1% | Alice Wakefield | 6,416 | 34.9% | |||||||||||
2018 Republican Primary | William S. Cogswell Jr. (i) | 1,722 | 46.3% | Russell Guerard | 1,589 | 42.7% | Will Freeman | 411 | 11.0% | ||||||||
2018 Republican Primary Runoff | William S. Cogswell Jr. (i) | 2,214 | 58.7% | Russell Guerard | 1,556 | 41.3% | |||||||||||
2018 General Election[21] | William S. Cogswell Jr. (i) | 9,264 | 55.1% | Ben Pogue | 7,548 | 44.9% | Others/Write-in | 9 | 0.0% | ||||||||
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