Editing Arthur Middleton (section)

==Life==
Middleton was born in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[Province of South Carolina]], in 1742. His parents were [[Henry Middleton]] and Mary Baker Williams, both of English descent. He was educated in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] at [[Harrow School]], [[Westminster School]], and [[Trinity Hall, Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id=MDLN759A|name=Middleton, Arthur}} The ''[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]]'' says Middleton "attended school at Hackney, Westminster School, and St. John's College, Cambridge University, in England".</ref> He studied law at the [[Middle Temple]] and traveled extensively in Europe where his taste in literature, music, and art was developed and refined. In 1764, Arthur and his bride [[Mary Izard]] settled at [[Middleton Place]].

Keenly interested in Carolina, Middleton was a more radical thinker than his father. He was a leader of the [[Patriot (American Revolution)|American Party]] in Carolina and one of the boldest members of the [[Committee of safety (American Revolution)|Council of Safety]] and its Secret Committee. In 1776, Middleton was elected to succeed his father in the [[Continental Congress]] and subsequently was a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]]. Also in 1776, he and [[William Henry Drayton]] designed the Great Seal of South Carolina. His attitude toward [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] was said to be ruthless, this stood in contrast to other South Carolina patriots such as [[Francis Marion]] who led the effort to reconcile with the loyalists after the war ended.<ref>The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution By John Oller pg. 227</ref><ref>The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution By John Oller pg. 341</ref>

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], Middleton served in the defense of Charleston. After the [[Siege of Charleston|city's fall to the British]] in 1780, he was sent as a prisoner of war to [[St. Augustine, Florida]] (along with [[Edward Rutledge]] and [[Thomas Heyward Jr.]]), until exchanged in July the following year.