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Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Strom Thurmond

 
 
Strom Thurmond Statue image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
1. Strom Thurmond Statue
Inscription.
[East Inscription]:
A Century of Service
Born December 5, 1902 in Edgefield, South Carolina, Strom Thurmond provided nearly a century of service to the Palmetto State and to this nation. Highlights of his extraordinary life include:
Participation in the D-Day Invasion June 6, 1944 (World War II); five Battle Stars and eighteen military awards and decorations; the only person in American history to be elected to the United States Senate by write-in vote - 1954; the longest serving member and the oldest person ever to serve in the United States Senate.
Presidential Citizens Medal presented by President Ronald W. Reagan. Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President George H.W. Bush. The Order of the Palmetto.

[North Inscription]:
Strom Thurmond Monument Commission
Chairman
Senator John Courson
Senator John Drummond
Senator Kay Patterson
Rep. Rebecca Davis Meacham
Rep. Michael S. Whatley
Rep. John M. Knotts, Jr.
Judge Marion H. Kinon
James Egerton Burroughs
Martha C. Edens
Dr. Warren H. Abernathy

[West Inscription]:
Statesman - Soldier - Educator
Teacher and Athletic Coach
County Superintendent of Education
City and County Attorney
South Carolina
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Senator
South Carolina Circuit Judge
Governor of South Carolina
Major General, United States Army Reserve
United States Senator
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman, Senate Armed Forces Committee
President Pro Tempore, United States Senate
The father of five children:
Nancy Moore - J. Strom Jr. - Juliana Gertrude - Paul Reynolds
Essie Mae

 
Erected 1999 by the Strom Thurmond Monument Committee.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #40 Ronald Reagan, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #41 George H.W. Bush series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1942.
 
Location. 33° 59.967′ N, 81° 1.966′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker can be reached from Pendleton Street north of Main Street. Statue is located on the south side of the S.C.Statehouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wade Hampton (a few steps from this marker); Capitol Complex (within shouting distance of this marker); Richardson Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Liberty Bell Reproduction
Strom Thurmond Statue Base<br>East Inscription<br>A Century of Service image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
2. Strom Thurmond Statue Base
East Inscription
A Century of Service
(within shouting distance of this marker); South Carolina Women of the Confederacy Monument (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Quoin-Stones (about 300 feet away); Sherman’s Artillery (about 400 feet away); African-American History Monument (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
 
Also see . . .
1. Strom Thurmond. James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. (Submitted on August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

2. Strom Thurmond Statue: Egdefield Statehouse. The Clio website entry:
"Though widely known for his pro-segregation sentiments, Thurmond, however, is also quite popular due to his service in WWII, his decisions as South Carolina governor, and his book the "Southern Manifesto"." (Submitted on March 14, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 

3. SC Governors – James Strom Thurmond, 1947-1951. Thurmond served as governor while a member of the Democratic Party but became a Republican in 1964. (Submitted on August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Strom Thurmond Statue Base<br>North Inscription<br>Strom Thurmond Monument Commission image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
3. Strom Thurmond Statue Base
North Inscription
Strom Thurmond Monument Commission
 

4. "Dear Senator," from Strom Thurmond's Daughter. interview by Terry Gross (NPR) (Submitted on August 28, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. James Strom Thurmond (1902-2003)
James Strom Thurmond, a Senator from South Carolina; born in Edgefield, S.C., December 5, 1902; attended the public schools; graduated, Clemson College 1923; taught in South Carolina high schools 1923-1929; Edgefield County superintendent of education 1929-1933; studied law and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1930; city and county attorney 1930-1938; member, State senate 1933-1938; circuit judge 1938-1946; served in the United States Army 1942-1946, in Europe and in the Pacific; major general, United States Army Reserve; Governor of South Carolina 1947-1951; unsuccessful States Rights candidate for President of the United States in 1948; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1950; practiced law in Aiken, S.C., 1951-1955; appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to complete the term of Charles E. Daniel, who resigned, and served from December 24, 1954, to January 3, 1955; had been previously elected as a write-in candidate in November 1954 for the term
Strom Thurmond Statue Base<br>West Inscription<br>Statesman - Soldier - Educator image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
4. Strom Thurmond Statue Base
West Inscription
Statesman - Soldier - Educator
Note the change in the inscription and the addition of Ellie Mae's name.
commencing January 3, 1955, and ending January 3, 1961, but due to a promise made to the voters in the 1954 election, he resigned as of April 4, 1956; again elected as a Democrat on November 6, 1956 to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation and took the oath of office on November 7, 1956; reelected in 1960, 1966, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990 and 1996 and served from November 7, 1956, to January 3, 2003; was not a candidate for reelection in 2002; changed from the Democratic to the Republican Party on September 16, 1964; President pro tempore of the Senate (January 5, 1981-January 5, 1987, January 4, 1995 to January 3, 2001, January 20 to June 6, 2001); President pro tempore emeritus (June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003); chair, Committee on the Judiciary (Ninety-seventh through Ninety-ninth Congresses); Committee on Armed Services (One Hundred Fourth Congresses); turned 100 years old on December 5, 2002, while still in office, the oldest person ever to serve in the U.S. Senate; died in Edgefield, South Carolina on June 26, 2003; interment in Willowbrook Cemetery in Edgefield. (Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.)
    — Submitted August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. Thurmond Honors to 1994
  • Thurmond Hall, Winthrop College (1939)
  • Strom
    Strom Thurmond Statue<br>South View<br>S.C. Statehouse in Background image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
    5. Strom Thurmond Statue
    South View
    S.C. Statehouse in Background
    Thurmond High School, Edgefield County (1961)
  • Strom Thurmond Student Center, Charleston Southern University (1972)
  • Strom Thurmond Federal Building, Columbia (1975)
  • Strom Thurmond Center for Excellence in Government and Public Service, Clemson University (1981)
  • Strom Thurmond Chairs and Scholarships (1981)
  • Strom Thurmond Auditorium at University of South Carolina School of Law (1982)
  • Life-sized statue erected on Edgefield town square (1984)
  • Streets in several South Carolina cities
  • Strom Thurmond Lake, Dam, and Highway, Clarks Hill (1987)
  • Strom Thurmond Mall, Columbia (1988)
  • Endowed 52 scholarships at 45 colleges and universities
  • Strom Thurmond Foundation
  • Strom Thurmond Soldier Service Center, Fort Jackson, Columbia (1991)
  • Strom Thurmond Room, U.S. Capitol (1991)
  • Strom Thurmond Highway (I-20 from the Georgia line to Florence, S.C.) (1992)
  • Strom Thurmond Biomedical Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina (1993)
  • Strom Thurmond National Guard Armory (1994)
        — Submitted August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

     
    Additional keywords. Dixiecrat; William Behrends, sculptor
    Strom Thurmond Statue<br>South View<br>S.C. Statehouse in Background image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
    6. Strom Thurmond Statue
    South View
    S.C. Statehouse in Background
     
    Strom Thurmond Statue<br>Southeast Corner image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Brian Scott, July 25, 2011
    7. Strom Thurmond Statue
    Southeast Corner
    Strom Thurmond<br>1902-2003 image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Brian Scott, circa 1961
    8. Strom Thurmond
    1902-2003
    President George H.W. Bush presents Senator Strom Thurmond with the Medal of Freedom image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By White House, 1993
    9. President George H.W. Bush presents Senator Strom Thurmond with the Medal of Freedom
    Strom Thurmond<br>1902-2003 image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Brian Scott, 1997
    10. Strom Thurmond
    1902-2003
    Strom Thurmond Marker Sponsors image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Craig Doda, November 13, 2022
    11. Strom Thurmond Marker Sponsors
    The State House , Strom Thurmond Monument on south lawn image. Click for full size.
    Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 2011
    12. The State House , Strom Thurmond Monument on south lawn
    * Governor of South Carolina (1947–1951) * States' Rights Democratic presidential candidate (1948) * Eight-term senator from South Carolina (December 1954 – April 1956 and November 1956 – January 2003) * Democrat (1954 – April 1956 and November 1956 – September 1964) * Republican (September 1964 – January 2003) * President pro tempore (1981–1987; 1995 – January 3, 2001; January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001) * Set record for the longest one-man Congressional filibuster (1957) * Set record for oldest serving member at 94 years (1997) * Set the then-record for longest cumulative tenure in the Senate at 43 years (1997), increasing to 47 years, 6 months at his retirement in January 2003, surpassed by Robert Byrd in July 2006 * Became the only senator ever to serve at the age of 100
     
     
    Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,654 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on August 28, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on August 27, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   11. submitted on November 15, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.   12. submitted on January 23, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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    Mar. 28, 2024