James B. Edwards descends the steps of the State House with previous Governor John C. West at his January 15, 1975, inauguration as the first Republican governor of South Carolina since Reconstruction.

Marion Gressett | History of SC Slide Collection
Marion Gressett | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 5

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Marion Gressett (1902-1984, see Marion Gressett And Hyman Rubin) was first elected to the South Carolina state Senate from Calhoun County in 1937. A powerful political figure during the 1950s and...
I. DeQuincey Newman | History of SC Slide Collection
I. DeQuincey Newman | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 6

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The congressional redistricting in 1981 led to the election of I. DeQuincey Newman as the first African-American South Carolina senator since the end of Reconstruction. Here, he greets some of his new...
Jean Toal | History of SC Slide Collection
Jean Toal | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 9

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On January 27, 1988, Jean Toal was chosen as the first woman to sit on the South Carolina State Supreme Court. Here, her family looks on as the vote confirming her election is announced in the Senate...