Memories of Politics Past

This week, Statehouse Report asked,"Remember this Pioneer?"


And the answer is...

Harriet Keyserling, a Democrat and self-proclaimed “New York Jewish liberal,” represented District 124, Beaufort County, in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1977 until her retirement in 1993. Mrs. Keyserling was a tireless advocate of the arts, of education, and of the protection of the environment from nuclear waste and other energy hazards. Highly respected by other legislators, she was once described by former Governor Richard W. Riley as “more given to quiet research, serious conversation, and careful organization - and less to the smoke-filled-room politics of much big talk and little listening.” Her memoir, Against the Tide, presents fascinating insights into how government works, and fails to work.

To find out more about Keyserling, check out her collection or contact us.

Photo with caption originally appeared in the April 30, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

Memories of Politics Past

This week, Statehouse Report asked,"Where in the world were these two?"



And the answer is...

Robert Ashmore, U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 4th District, risks running afoul of the authorities as he steps out of the American Sector of Berlin in 1964. His devoted and amused wife, “Billy,” wishes him well in whatever detainment the future holds for him.

To find out more about Ashmore, check out his collection or contact us.

Photo with caption originally appeared in the April 23, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

Mixed Bag

As we prepare for our move to the Hollings Special Collections Library, our staff has been compiling a list of the things we will miss, and not miss, in leaving the “Pearle” building, our home since we were established in 1991. Pearle is located behind the Colonial Life Arena, 7 blocks below Thomas Cooper Library. Our warehouse started life as home to a Pearle Vision warehouse, and we share it with McKissick Museum storage, holdings of the South Caroliniana Library and its Microfilming operation, manned by Tim Bright and Don Turner.

We will miss:

· Our daily interaction with Tim and Don.
· We will miss the handy parking right outside our door.
· The delightful walks downhill from our visits up to Campus.
· The “endless wall space” which allows us to hang just about anything, including the Kate Salley Palmer car hood and really large Hollings and Spence campaign signs.
· A few special events held at the Arena – the Circus, which takes over our parking lot for a week and allows us to get up close and personal with the tigers, elephants, etc.; the monster trucks rumbling in our ears while we work; and the partying pre-Buffett-concert parrotheads.

We won’t miss many more things:

· Windowless environment. Everyone hates not having windows.

· Poor insulation. We often are either hot or cold.

· We can’t drink the water here; it is high in both lead and iron.

· Finding us is a challenge: no more waving down visitors in the street.

· The dreaded walk UP to Thomas Cooper Library.

· The plumbing-challenged bathrooms.

· Pulling boxes can be challenging with our awkward warehouse ladders and shelves that hold six 45-pound cartons each, two deep.
· The list goes on…

Memories of Politics Past

This week, Statehouse Report asked, "What are these guys doing?"


And the answer is...

In 1969, U.S. Senator “Fritz” Hollings embarked on a crusade to bring attention to the prevalence of hunger among South Carolina’s poor. With the help of I. DeQuincey Newman (pictured here in his trademark derby hat) and other local leaders, Hollings toured the poorest areas throughout the state. He focused national attention on “bleak, hunger and hovel-housing amidst disease and ignorance.” Journalist Lee Bandy praised Hollings’ courage in confronting this politically risky issue-- "If political awards for courage were available, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., would certainly be in line for such an honor today" (The State, c. Feb. 1969). Hollings’ first book, The Case Against Hunger, was published in 1970 and details the cost of hunger.

To find out more about Hollings, check out his collection or contact us.

Photo with caption originally appeared in the April 16, 2010 issue of the Statehouse Report.

Memories of Politics Past

This week, Statehouse Report asked, "Who's on the stump?"

And the answer is...

William Jennings Bryan Dorn was a spell binding speaker. In 1938, at the young age of twenty-two, Dorn was elected to the South Carolina House. Two years later he won election to the state Senate. He represented Carolina’s Third District in the United States Congress for thirteen terms between 1948 and 1974. During an era known for stump speeches and political rallies built around barbeque and catfish stew, Dorn knew you had captured your audience if you could make the man stirring the pot put up his ladle.

To find out more about Dorn, check out his collection or contact us.

Photo with caption originally appeared in the April 9, 2010 issue of the Statehouse Report.

Another look at Olin D. Johnston

Have you ever seen one of these?

Do you know what they're called?

Maybe you played with one growing up while sniffing around your mom, dad, or grandparent's desk?

We like to call them "pop-up" directories or something similar.

Turns out, they are Bates List Finders. Olin D. Johnston had them on his desk as a U.S. Senator, and they are easy and surprisingly fun to use. You just move the arrow to a desired letter, press the tab at the bottom, and "whoosh!", up goes the cover to reveal the people you seek.

Of course, his collection here at SCPC has a whole lot more to offer. If you have a research topic focusing on the 1940s through early 1960s, you might find the Johnston finding aid worth a look. Johnston was a Senator from 1945 until his death in 1965. He was also Governor of SC from 1935-1939 and 1943-1945.

In the Senate, he was a member and chair of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee, and his papers reflect his leadership in those areas. Johnston was also known as a friend to the farmer and laborer. From his finding aid: "In the Senate, Johnston was a staunch advocate of public power, parity programs for farmers, a broad strong social security program, and the provision of lunches to needy school children."

Most of the documents in his collection (like speeches, legislative files, and press releases) focus on his Senatorial service but we also have one box of Gubernatorial material, as well as campaign files and personal correspondence, such as several folders of sweet letters between Johnston and his wife Gladys in the early years of their marriage.

Memories of Politics Past

Statehouse Report included a new feature this week. Every Friday, they will highlight a photograph from our collections and challenge their readers to brush up on some history.

This week, Statehouse Report asked, "Guess who this guy was and why he made political history."

And the answer is...

Charlie Boineau – the first Republican elected to the General Assembly since Reconstruction, shown at his desk. When Boineau (1923-2005) won a special election to represent Richland County in 1961, conservative icon Barry Goldwater wrote him: "You will go down in history as the first Republican to crack the solid ranks of Democrats in South Carolina, and some day, whether you know it or not, your victory will mark the turning point in not only the political but the economic direction of your state." Boineau was unable to hold his seat in the 1962 general election, but his victory was a milestone in the growth of the Republican Party in South Carolina.


To find out more about Boineau, check out his collection or contact us.

Photo with caption originally appeared in the April 2, 2010 issue of the Statehouse Report.