Memories of Politics Past

The current issue of Statehouse Report included this photo with the challenge:

Not only will you find a former governor in this photo after a South Carolina hunt, but if you look closely enough, you'll spy the guy who wrote today's "My Turn" commentary in the second row at the far right.

Here's our description:

South Carolina Governor Robert E. McNair (standing, third from left) takes a break from the challenges he encountered as the state's top executive in the tumultuous 1960s. His overarching interest was the advancement of South Carolina in all areas of his responsibility such as education, industrial development, promotion of tourism, and the improvement of the quality of life for all in the state. Many of his challenges were related to the civil rights movement, which he faced resolutely and with a moderate tone, in contrast to the more adamant states' rights views of most other southern governors. Here, though, he enjoys some down time with his hunting buddies at a cabin in Belmont in 1967.

To find out more about Robert E. McNair, check out his collection or contact us.

Photo and caption originally appeared in the June 4, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

Memories of Politics Past

This week,Statehouse Report pondered, "Boy, the guys liked their hats a few years back. Figure out yet who the guy in the middle was and what he was doing about the time this photo was taken (hit the rewind button for about 52 years)."

And the answer is...

Before Fritz Hollings was a U.S. Senator, he was Lt. Governor and Governor of South Carolina (1955-1963). In this classic shot taken Feb. 5, 1958, Lt. Governor Hollings stands with T.C. Bannister, Jr., and R. Sundberg at the Bowater Pulp Mill in Catawba, S.C., prior to the mill’s start up. Hollings successfully ran for governor later in 1958. As Lt. Governor, Hollings was known for pursuing industrial interests for the state — something he continued as governor.

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

Photo and caption originally appeared in the May 28, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

Memories of Politics Past

This week,Statehouse Report asked, "First, who are the four leaders in this photo? Second, what's remarkable about two of the people in the photo?"

And the answer is...

Pictured here are four legendary figures in South Carolina politics: from left to right, James F. Byrnes, Strom Thurmond, John C. West, and Edgar Brown. Byrnes and Thurmond both served as governor and U.S. Senator; West as lieutenant governor and governor; and Brown as President Pro Tempore of the S.C. Senate for thirty years.

In 1997, Gov. West wrote of this photograph: “This picture was taken at the Carolina Cup race (1964). It is the first time Strom Thurmond and Edgar Brown had a picture together since Thurmond defeated Brown in the 1954 senatorial election as a write-in candidate. Of significance also is the appearance of former Gov. Byrnes, who supported Strom in 1954 despite his friendship with Edgar — including serving as best man in Edgar’s wedding.”

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

Photo and caption originally appeared in the May 14, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

Memories of Politics Past

This week, Statehouse Report asked, "Remember the name of the guy waving?"


And the answer is...


State Senator Donald Holland of Kershaw County served in the S.C. House (1951-54 and 1957-64), as a S.C. District Highway Commissioner (1964-68), and in the S.C. Senate (1968-2003). Holland, at different times, represented constituents in Kershaw, Chesterfield, Darlington, Lancaster, Lee, Marlboro, and York counties. On his death in 2003, John C. West said of his friend and colleague, "I have never seen a man as honest, with more integrity, with more dedication, than Donald Holland...he had that dedication to the people which characterized his life. He was just a model public servant."

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

Photo with caption originally appeared in the May 7, 2010 issue of Statehouse Report.

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.

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.

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.