Provisional Governor December 1719 – May 1721

James Moore, Jr., was born about 1682 in South Carolina, the eldest son of governor James Moore. He established himself as a planter, and served in the Commons House of Assembly from 1706 to 1708.
After being appointed a captain of militia in 1707, James Moore became a prominent Indian fighter. He led an attack against a band of Savannah River Indians in 1707, and in March 1713, Colonel Moore and John Barnwell led an expedition against the Tuscarora. Their victory ended eighteen months of Indian battles in eastern North Carolina. James Moore played a diplomatic role in the Yamassee War of 1715-1718: while governor Charles Craven led forces against the Yemassees, Moore negotiated with the Cherokees, inducing them to take the side of the colonists.
When the colonial assembly declared itself a “Convention of the People” in December 1719, essentially overthrowing the Lords Proprietors, sitting governor Robert Johnson refused that body’s offer of the governorship. The convention then chose James Moore, Jr., to be provisional governor. He accepted, and took office on December 21, 1719.
The British government accepted control of South Carolina, and selected Francis Nicholson as the first royal governor. Before Nicholson arrived, former governor Robert Johnson marched on Charleston, demanding the surrender of the revolutionary government. James Moore defended the colony in the name of King George, and forced Johnson to withdraw. Moore held the colony for the king until May 1721, when he relinquished the governorship to Nicholson and became speaker of the Commons House of Assembly. He presided over the assembly until his death on March 3, 1724.

Heitzler, Michael J. Goose Creek, A Definitive History. Volume One: Planters, Politicians and Patriots. Charleston: History Press, 2005.
Towles, Louis P. “Moore, James, Jr.” Walter Edgar, ed. South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press, 2006.