James Francis Byrnes (see Governor James Byrnes) rose to prominence in South Carolina and the nation, first in the House of Representatives, and then in the Senate. A supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal programs, he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 1941. When the war came, he resigned from the Court to take on an extensive role in mobilizing the economy. As secretary of state under Harry S. Truman, he signed the peace treaties ending the Second World War on behalf of the United States on January 20, 1947. Senator Vandenberg is on the right, and Senator Connelly on the left.
Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
