The Political Landscape

1974 - present

Meet South Carolinians who have served in one of the three branches of government, some in the highest offices.

Donald Stuart Russell | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 6 7 8

Donald Stuart Russell (1906-1998) was a protégé of former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. Russell was Governor of South Carolina from 1963-1965 and a U.S. Senator. He also served as President of...

Ernest "Fritz" Hollings | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Ernest “Fritz” Hollings was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1922. He graduated from The Citadel in 1942 and served as an artillery officer in World War Two. After the war, he was elected to the...

Governor James Burrows Edwards | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

James Burrows Edwards was born in Hawthorne, Florida, and was an officer in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. Edwards received a bachelor's degree in 1950 at the College of Charleston. He...

Governor John C. West | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

John Carl West, Sr. served as the 109th Governor of South Carolina from 1971 to 1975. From 1977 to 1981, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Governor West died on March 21, 2004.

Governor Richard W. Riley | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Richard W. Riley was born January 2, 1933 in Greenville, South Carolina. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate from 1963 to 1977 and was elected Governor of South...

Governor Robert E. McNair | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Robert E. McNair was Governor of South Carolina from 1965 to 1971. He led efforts in economic development, education, and civil rights. McNair was considered as a Democratic candidate for Vice...

Joseph P. Riley, Jr. | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Joseph P. Riley, Jr. was born in 1943 in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended The Citadel and the University of South Carolina School of Law.Riley served six years in the South Carolina House of...

S.C. Chief Justice Ernest Finney | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 8

In 1960, Ernest Finney (1931-2017) began his law practice in Sumter, South Carolina, specializing in civil rights advocacy and defense. He represented the Friendship 9, a group of black college...

Senator Strom Thurmond | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902—June 26, 2003) served 48 years as United States Senator from South Carolina. He was Governor of South Carolina from 1947-1951 and ran for President in 1948 as...

William Jennings Bryan Dorn | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

William Jennings Bryan Dorn (1916-2005) was a United States Congressman from Greenwood, South Carolina, known for his work on the GI Bill, Keowee-Toxaway Project, and the creation of Lakes Hartwell...

William S. Hall | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dr. William S. Hall (1915-1995) -- William S. Hall, M.D., served as the Superintendent for the S.C. State Hospital and became the first State Commissioner of Mental Health in S.C. After WWII, the S.C...