Izard, Ralph

Ralph Izard (1742-1804) was a wealthy South Carolina planter, diplomat and congressman. He received an English education and and in 1767, married Alice DeLancey  of New York. While living in London, the Revolutionary War began and Izard acted as a diplomat at the outset of the war. He consulted with Benjamin Franklin on the treaty with France, yet differences between the two men lead to a rivalry between them. Izard served in Congress from 1789 to 1795 as a senator from South Carolina, including a four-month service as president pro tempore of the Senate in 1794. In Congress, he opposed the Bill of Rights and the reception of Quaker antislavery petitions. He corresponded with George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and members of the Continental Congress.