Strom Thurmond
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| Strom Thurmond | |
|---|---|
| Name | Strom Thurmond |
| Caption | Thurmond c. 1955 |
| Office | President pro tempore of the United States Senate |
| Term start | January 3, 1981 |
| Term end | January 3, 1987 |
| Predecessor | Warren Magnuson |
| Successor | John C. Stennis |
| Office2 | United States Senator from South Carolina |
| Term start2 | December 24, 1954 |
| Term end2 | January 3, 2003 |
| Predecessor2 | Charles E. Daniel |
| Successor2 | Lindsey Graham |
| Term start3 | November 7, 1956 |
| Term end3 | April 4, 1956 |
| Predecessor3 | Thomas A. Wofford |
| Successor3 | Himself (appointed) |
| Office4 | 103rd Governor of South Carolina |
| Term start4 | January 21, 1947 |
| Term end4 | January 16, 1951 |
| Lieutenant4 | George Bell Timmerman Jr. |
| Predecessor4 | Ransome Judson Williams |
| Successor4 | James F. Byrnes |
| Birth date | December 5, 1902 |
| Birth place | Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Death date | June 26, 2003 (aged 100) |
| Death place | Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic (before 1964), Republican (1964–2003) |
| Spouse | Jean Crouch (m. 1947; died 1960), Nancy Moore (m. 1968; sep. 1991) |
| Children | 5, including Paul Thurmond |
| Education | Clemson University (BS) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Serviceyears | 1942–1946, 1947–1960 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division |
| Battles | World War II |
Strom Thurmond was a prominent and polarizing American politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina for nearly half a century. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, he became a Republican in 1964 and was a staunch defender of racial segregation and states' rights throughout much of his career. His tenure, which included service as President pro tempore of the Senate, made him one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history.
Early life and education
Born in Edgefield, South Carolina, a town known for its fiery political history, he was the son of John William Thurmond, a prominent local attorney and politician. He attended Clemson University, then known as Clemson Agricultural College, graduating with a degree in horticulture in 1923. After working as a teacher, farmer, and athletic coach, he studied law under his father's tutelage and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1930, beginning his legal practice in Edgefield County.
Political career
His political career began with his election to the South Carolina Senate in 1932, where he served as a New Deal Democrat. He was appointed a circuit court judge in 1938. During World War II, he served with the 82nd Airborne Division, participating in the Normandy landings, and later served in the United States Army Reserve, retiring as a major general. In 1946, he was elected Governor of South Carolina on a progressive platform that included opposition to the poll tax.
1948 presidential campaign
In 1948, he broke from the Democratic National Convention over the party's nascent civil rights platform. He became the presidential nominee for the States' Rights Democratic Party, commonly known as the Dixiecrats. His campaign platform was built on unwavering support for racial segregation and opposition to federal anti-lynching laws. He carried four states—South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi—winning 39 electoral votes but losing the national election to Harry S. Truman.
U.S. Senate tenure
He was initially appointed to the United States Senate in 1954 to fill a vacancy and was later elected in a special election in 1956. A fierce opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, he staged the longest filibuster by a single senator in history, speaking for over 24 hours. He continued his opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After switching to the Republican Party in 1964, he became a key Southern strategist for the Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan administrations, helping to build the modern Republican South.
Views and legacy
His political philosophy was defined by a rigid commitment to conservatism, states' rights, and a strict constructionist view of the United States Constitution. He moderated some of his public positions on race in later decades, supporting the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and hiring the first Black congressional aide in South Carolina's Senate staff history. His legacy remains deeply controversial, celebrated by some as a champion of conservative principles but condemned by others as a symbol of Jim Crow resistance and white supremacy.
Personal life and death
He was first married to Jean Crouch from 1947 until her death in 1960. In 1968, at age 66, he married 22-year-old Nancy Moore, a former Miss South Carolina; they had four children and later separated. In 2003, it was publicly revealed that he had fathered a daughter, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, with his family's Black teenage maid, Carrie Butler, a fact he never publicly acknowledged. He died at age 100 in his hometown of Edgefield, South Carolina, and was interred at Edgefield Village Cemetery. Upon his death, he was succeeded in the Senate by Lindsey Graham.
Category:1902 births Category:2003 deaths Category:United States Senators from South Carolina