Political Leadership

In this section find South Carolinians who served in leadership roles that helped shape policies and bring change.

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Fort Hill, the antebellum plantation of John C. Calhoun, South Carolina’s pre-eminent 19th century statesman, started as a four-room Clergy Hall. Through a succession of Calhoun-Clemson women, Fort...

Lottie Gibson | SC African American History Calendar (2019) 3

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Lottie Gibson | SC African American History Calendar (2019)

Episode 3

For over sixty years, Lottie Gibson fought for Greenville County’s poor and disadvantaged. As a life member of the NAACP’s Greenville Branch, Gibson was an outspoken civil rights activist. As a youth...

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James Edwards

Episode 102

At a local news conference prior to the election, James Edwards expressed cautious optimism about the election. The voter turnout on Election Day was heavier than expected, and Edwards won the...

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James Edwards

Episode 103

Governor Edwards established his own dental practice in Charleston County in 1960. Edwards gets a feeling of satisfaction by helping people, and this passion for helping others carried over into his...

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James Edwards

Episode 101

In this first segment of Profile, James Edwards is on the campaign trail, before the summer primary election in 1974. Edwards would face several challenges during this campaign, like less time to...

Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 1 | The Big Picture 1

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Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 1 | The Big Picture

Episode 1

To say that Congressman Jim Clyburn is a driven man is an understatement. Clyburn had been involved in politics, one way or another, ever since his youth. It was during his time as South Carolina...

Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 2 | The Big Picture 2

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Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 2 | The Big Picture

Episode 2

While serving as the head of the human affairs commission, Jim Clyburn was unsuccessful in his two attempts to be elected South Carolina’s secretary of state. Clyburn’s determination to win put him...

Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 3 | The Big Picture 3

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Congressman Jim Clyburn, Part 3 | The Big Picture

Episode 3

With Clyburn’s success in Washington, he does not have as much time for golf like he used to. Clyburn’s rise through the ranks has been steady, and marked by his ability to reach across the aisle, and...

Butler, Pierce | South Carolina Public Radio

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Butler, Pierce | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Butler, Pierce (1744-1822). Soldier, planter, statesman. A native of Ireland, Butler was a major in the British army. In 1766, his regiment was transferred to South Carolina. He sold his...

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William Jennings Bryan Dorn

Episode 102

Washington D.C. was never considered home for Congressman W.J. Bryan Dorn. For Dorn, home was always Greenwood, South Carolina. His family lived in the Barratt Home, built in 1855, and bought by Dorn...

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William Jennings Bryan Dorn

Episode 103

After the governor seat slipped by W.J. Bryan Dorn a third time, he threw his support behind candidate Dick Riley, who won the election. Dorn devoted the final years of his political career to his...

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William Jennings Bryan Dorn

Episode 101

Congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn returns to his home in Greenwood, South Carolina, to run for governor. While his name is not an everyday, household name, W.J. Bryan Dorn left an indelible mark...

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Ernest "Fritz" Hollings

Episode 102

A Catholic nun introduced Fritz Hollings to a world he never knew existed: hunger and starvation. Disgusted by the poor living conditions of the destitute, Hollings made an effort to help improve the...

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L. Marion Gressette

Episode 102

Senators James Waddell and Rembert Dennis, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Stevenson, and Governor Richard Riley speak at the ceremony for the new State Senate office building, named in L. Marion Gressette...

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L. Marion Gressette

Episode 101

L. Marion Gressette was born in Calhoun County in 1902, near St. Matthews. Sen. Gressette fills many roles, such as a Baptist, Mason, member of Phi Kappa Phi fraternity, a fellow in the American...

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L. Marion Gressette

Episode 103

In this segment, Jim Welch interviews L. Marion Gressette about his thoughts on the building dedication ceremony, and what Gressette believes were his greatest achievements and disappointments in his...

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Ernest "Fritz" Hollings

Episode 101

The first segment chronicles Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings’ early life, education, and rise to political power. Hollings graduated from The Citadel in 1942, and served for thirty three months in the U.S...

Steve Benjamin | SC African American History Calendar 1

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Steve Benjamin | SC African American History Calendar

Episode 1

Mayor Steve Benjamin, Columbia’s first African American mayor, was elected in a record-turnout election in 2010. He made it his mission to shape the Capital City into the most talented, educated and...

Broughton, Thomas | South Carolina Public Radio

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Broughton, Thomas | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Broughton, Thomas (d.1737). Legislator, lieutenant governor. By the 1690s, Broughton had immigrated to South Carolina from the West Indies. He quickly became involved in the Indian trade...

Burt, Armistead | South Carolina Public Radio

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Burt, Armistead | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Burt, Armistead (1802-1883). Congressman. After attending Pendleton Academy, Burt married John C. Calhoun’s niece and became his protégé. He supported Calhoun’s opposition to the Tariff of...

Byrnes, James Francis | South Carolina Public Radio

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Byrnes, James Francis | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Byrnes, James Francis (1882-1972). Congressman, U.S. senator, U.S. Supreme Court justice, U.S. secretary of state, governor. Over his lifetime, Byrnes—a native of Charleston--held many...

Butler, Matthew Calbraith | South Carolina Public Radio

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Butler, Matthew Calbraith | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Butler, Matthew Calbraith (1836-1909). Soldier, U.S. senator. In June 1861, the Edgefield Hussars—with Butler as captain—were mustered into Confederate service. He distinguished himself by...

Bull, William | South Carolina Public Radio

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Bull, William | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Bull, William (1683-1755). Planter, lieutenant governor. Bull had a long political career that began in the proprietary era and continued for thirty-five years after South Carolina became a...

Bull, William, II | South Carolina Public Radio

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Bull, William, II | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Bull, William, II (1710-1791). Lieutenant governor. Educated in England and the Netherlands, Bull was a member of the Commons House (1736-1749) and, on occasion, its speaker. In 1749, he...