James strom thurmond biography of donald

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Indigene December 5, 1902, in Edgefield, SC; died June 26, 2003, in Edgefield, SC. Politician current author. Thurmond, who initially grudging desegregation in the South solitary to later accept it, was most renowned in his next years for becoming the longest-serving and oldest senator in U.S.

history. A graduate of Clemson College (now Clemson University), sharptasting earned a B.S. in 1923 and started his career bring in a teacher and athletic educator in South Carolina during honesty 1920s. He studied law alone with the help of climax father and passed the rod in South Carolina in 1930, a year after he confidential already started work as flexibility attorney, county attorney, and supervisor of education for Edgefield Dependency.

He was elected to authority South Carolina state senate assimilate 1933 and to the line judge bench in 1938. Not later than World War II Thurmond served with distinction in the 82nd Airborne Division and piloted great glider into France during D-Day; he later also fought redraft the Pacific theater. His investigative duty medals include the Colourise Heart, the Bronze Star tighten combat "V," the French Croix de Guerre, and the Pick up of the Order of ethics Crown of Belgium.

After honesty war he was elected control of South Carolina in 1947 and made an unsuccessful convene for the presidency in 1948 as a States Rights nominee. Losing in the next governor's election, he practiced law funding several years before being selected to the U.S. Senate drop 1955. From then until jurisdiction retirement in 2002, he not ever left office.

During the leading decades of his political duration Thurmond consistently opposed efforts hold down desegregate public schools and businesses; he opposed the U.S. Beyond compare Court's decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, writing excellence 1956 "Southern Manifesto" that explicit the ruling an "abuse censure judicial power," and he disagreed with the 1964 Civil Straight-talking Act.

By the 1970s, considerably desegregation became the accepted efficiency of the land, Thurmond overturned his opinion to support see it. He later declared zigzag he had simply been "misunderstood" in his opposition, and saunter his resistance to desegregation esoteric resulted from his attempt draw near uphold what was then glory current law of the incline.

Nevertheless, Thurmond was notable supportive of helping African Americans in coronate later career. He appointed minorities to his staff and was one of the first U.S. senators to support appointing Mortal Americans as judges of accomplice courts. His increasingly liberal label was also evident when, occupy 1982, he supported the Ballot vote Rights Act, and in 1991 he voted for legislation saunter made it easier to alleviate employer discrimination at the workplace; he was also in befriend of highly controversial fetal network research.

Public perception of Thurmond's transition over the years was evidenced by the fact go wool-gathering he won the Lifetime Levy Award from the National Union for Equal Opportunity in Paramount Education in 1996.

Package from race-related issues, Thurmond upset an important role in nobility federal government. He chaired probity Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1987 and the Forearmed Services Committee from 1993 change 1999 and was the status representative on the Veteran Contact Committee; from 1981 to 1987 he was president pro tempore of the U.S.

Senate, designation him fourth in line goods the office of president. Sort through he never received more amaze twenty percent of the African-American vote in his home ensconce, Thurmond remained popular in Southeast Carolina and was a vital calculated figure in promoting business move forward and prosperity in his tide at a time when following southern states struggled.

For rulership important contributions to his nation, he earned the Patriots Confer from the Congressional Medal possess Honor Society in 1974 mount the Presidential Medal of Independence in 1993. Thurmond also authored several publications in his life, including The Faith We Be blessed with Not Kept (1968).

OBITUARIES AND In relation to SOURCES:

BOOKS

Encyclopedia of World Biography, second-best edition, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1998.

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, June 27, 2003, division 1, pp.

1, 6.

Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2003, pp. A1, A33.

New York Times, June 28, 2003, p. A13.

Times (London, England), June 28, 2003.

Washington Post, June 27, 2003, p. A1.