 When Francis Lewis Cardozo was elected in South Carolina as Secretary of State in 1868, he was the first African American to hold a statewide office in the United States.During World War I, two Kershaw County men were awarded the Medal of Honor in two separate actions while fighting in France in October 1918.The first was Richmond Hobson Hilton, recognized for actions taking place on October 11, 1918, during which he lost an arm.