Born in Charleston, Governor Burnet R. Maybank (1899-1954) attended local public schools, Porter Military Academy, and the College of Charleston. During WWI, he served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy, and after the war as an air cadet. He returned to Charleston in 1921, where he began a cotton export business. In 1931, he was elected mayor of Charleston and served in this position until 1938, when he was elected governor. He resigned the governorship in November of 1941, after being elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator James Byrnes, who had accepted an appointment to the Supreme Court (see Governor James Byrnes). Maybank served in the Senate until 1954. He had been nominated for another term, but died prior to the general election.
Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum
