William Waters Boyce

William Waters Boyce (October 24, 1818 – February 3, 1890) was an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina, later a member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States and the Confederate States House of Representatives.

Early life Boyce was born on October 24, 1818, in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Robert Boyce and Lydia (née Waters) Boyce. He was the nephew of industrialist Ker Boyce.

Boyce studied at the University of South Carolina and the University of Virginia. He read law, and in 1839, was admitted to the bar, after which he began practicing law in Winnsboro. He owned slaves. John D. Smart said that Boyce was kind to his slaves.

At the onset of the American Civil War, Boyce volunteered to the Confederate States Army, though was selected for Confederate politics.

Boyce opposed President Jefferson Davis. In late 1864, he and other Confederate politicians authored a letter calling for Confederate surrender; the letter was received negatively for the most part. It is believed to have greatly contributed to the death of Confederate war morale.

Personal life and death In 1866, Boyrce moved to Washington, D.C., practicing law there. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Pearson, with whom he had two daughters. He died on February 3, 1890, aged 71, at "Ashland", in Fairfax County, Virginia. He was buried on February 6, at St. John's Episcopal Cemetery, in Winnsboro.