Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - An haifi McIver a ranar 25 ga Satumba, 1826, kusa da Society Hill, South Carolina ga Alexander McIver da Mary Hanford McIver. Babban kakansa shi ne Kyaftin William Dewitt. Ya koma Cheraw, South Carolina a 1836 tare da iyalinsa. A shekara ta 1846, ya sauke karatu daga Kwalejin Carolina ta Kudu (yanzu Jami'ar Carolina ta Kudu). Ya yi karatun doka tare da mahaifinsa bayan kwaleji, kuma an yarda da shi don yin doka a watan Disamba na 1847. ya auri Caroline H. Powe a ranar 7 ga Yuni, 1849. Lokacin da mahaifin McIver ya mutu a watan Yulin 1850, Gwamna Whitemarsh B. Seabrook ya nada McIver don kammala wa'adin mahaifinsa a matsayin lauya (mai gabatar da kara) na gabashin jihar. A ƙarshen wa'adin, McIver bai yi takara ba don cikakken wa'adi; duk da haka, magajin kansa ya mutu a ofishin, kuma an sake nada McIver don kammala wa'adin da ya rage. A karshen wannan wa'adi na biyu, an zabi McIver zuwa cikakken wa'adi. Ya ci gaba da sake zabarsa zuwa mukamin har zuwa 1868 lokacin da aka cire shi daga mukaminsa a matsayin wani ɓangare na Gyara. McIver, wanda ke wakiltar Gundumar Chesterfield, yana daga cikin wadanda suka sanya hannu kan Dokar Rabuwa ta Carolina ta Kudu a watan Disambar 1860. Daga bisani ya yi aiki a matsayin kyaftin a cikin 4th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment kuma ya ji rauni sosai a yakin Haw's Shop
, Va., sannan ya koma aikinsa na doka bayan yakin basasa. A ranar 19 ga Mayu, 1877, an zabe shi a matsayin mataimakin mai shari'a na Kotun Koli ta Kudu ta Carolina don cika wa'adin da ba a gama ba na Alkalin Ammiel J. Willard wanda ya zama babban alkalin kotun. Babban taron ya zabi McIver baki daya zuwa cikakken lokaci a watan Disamba na 1879. Ya yi aiki a wannan matsayi har sai an zabe shi kuma nan da nan ya yi rantsuwa a matsayin babban alƙali a ranar 1 ga Disamba, 1891, ya maye gurbin Babban Alƙali William D. Simpson.