Ralph Izard (January 23, 1741/1742 – May 30, 1804) was a U.S. politician. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1794.^[1]

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Ralph Izard
Ralph Izard, 1793, by John Trumbull
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office May 31, 1794 – November 9, 1794
Preceded by	John Langdon
Succeeded by	Henry Tazewell
United States Senator from South Carolina
In office March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1795
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jacob Read
Delegate from South Carolina to the Congress of the Confederation
In office November 4, 1782 – November 1, 1783
Personal details
Born	January 23, 1741 / 1742 near Charleston, South Carolina
Died	May 30, 1804 (aged 62–63) near Charleston, South Carolina
Political party	Pro-Administration
Spouse	Alice De Lancey Izard
Children	Henry Izard Ralph Izard George Izard Charlotte Izard
Alma mater	Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Profession	Planter
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Izard was born at "The Elms" near Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Henry Izard and Margaret Johnson. His great-grandfather was Ralph Izard^[2] (1660–1710), who was born in Dorchester, England and settled in South Carolina. His maternal grandfather was Province of South Carolina Governor Robert Johnson. Izard's parents died when he was a small child, and only one of his siblings survived to adulthood.

He spent most of his childhood and youth studying in England: he attended a school in Hackney, London, and matriculated as a fellow-commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.^[3] Izard returned to America in 1764, but did not remain in South Carolina for long.^[4] He was elected the American Society (later the American Philosophical Society) in 1768.^[5]

He resided in London in 1771 and moved to Paris, France, in 1776. He was appointed commissioner to the Court of Tuscany by the Continental Congress in 1776, but was recalled in 1779. He returned to America in 1780 and pledged his large estate in South Carolina for the payment of war ships to be used in the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. In 1788, he was elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1795, serving as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Third Congress.^[4]

In 1767, Izard married Alice De Lancey, who was a niece of James DeLancey and a descendant of Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Gertrude Schuyler. After Izard moved to America in 1780 to focus on his work towards the American Revolution, his family stayed in France until 1783 when they joined him in South Carolina. Izard and his wife had fourteen children together, but only seven survived past early childhood, including:^[6]

• Ralph Izard, was a naval hero of Tripoli. The World War II USS Izard was named after him. In 1808, Izard married Eliza Pinckney, daughter of Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a signer of the Constitution, and a granddaughter of Colonel Charles Pinckney, chief justice of South Carolina. Ralph's wife was also a niece of Arthur Middleton.
• Major General George Izard, was a governor of Arkansas.
• Anne Izard, who married William Allan Deas {1764-1863} with whom they had a son, the painter, Charles Deas. William's brother was Col. James Sutherland Deas {1784-1864} who was the father of CS General Zachariah Cantey Deas
• Charlotte Izard, who married William Loughton Smith, a son of S.C. Assemblyman Benjamin Smith; William L. Smith was also a brother-in-law of South Carolina Congressman Isaac Motte.

Izard died near Charleston on May 30, 1804, at the age of sixty-two. He is interred in the churchyard of St. James Goose Creek Episcopal Church, near Charleston.^[4]

Izard was a slaveholder.^[7][8]