Redcliffe Plantation was the home of James Henry Hammond, who lived from 1807 to 1864, and three generations of his descendants. Hammond served as a United States Congressman, Governor of South Carolina, and United States Senator, and during his lifetime he was perhaps best known as an outspoken defender of slavery. In an 1858 speech to the United States Senate, he coined the famous phrase "Cotton is King." A successful cotton planter, Hammond designed Redcliffe as an estate for relaxation, entertaining, and agricultural experimentation. Its 1859 Greek revival mansion became the physical and emotional center for four generations of the Hammond family. Hammond's great-grandson, John Shaw Billings, who lived from 1898 to 1975 and was known for his position as managing editor of Time and Life magazines, restored the mansion in the 1930s.