After South Carolina seceded in 1860, Petigru famously remarked, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”

James Louis Petigru (May 10, 1789 – March 9, 1863) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist in South Carolina. He is best known for his service as the Attorney General of South Carolina, his juridical work that played a key role in the recodification of the state’s law code. He was also known for opposing nullification and, in 1860, state secession from the US.