part of the funds to purchase the 43-acre (17 ha) campus. Claflin's first president was Alonzo Webster, who had previously spent time as a member of Claflin's board of trustees. Since the administration of Webster, Claflin has been served by eight presidents.
An act by the South Carolina General Assembly on March 12, 1872, designated the South Carolina State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute as a part of Claflin University. In 1896 the S.C. General Assembly passed an act of separation which severed the State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute from Claflin University and established a separate institution which eventually became South Carolina State University.
In 2020, American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated US $20 million to Claflin University. Her donation is the largest single gift in Claflin's history.
=== Presidents ===
Presidents of Claflin have included:
Alonzo Webster (1869–1872)
Edward Cooke (1872–1884)
Lewis M. Dunton (1884–1922)
Joseph B. Randolph (1922–1944)
John J. …
