Who was the greatest statesman in South Carolina's history?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Vote!

[DINGO Joe]

Must be loads of fun taking a state history class in a SC grade school.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Hard to beat Ben Tillman. I mean that dude was publicly threathening to sodomize President of the United States with a pitchfork.

[White Trash]

Kinda PO'ed that Calhoun isn't up there. Total HP, but one hell of a legislator.

[TDAS04]

Why isn't Preston Brooks on the list?

[Kingpoleon]

Mark Sanford.

Seriously? Lindsey Graham. I'm not voting on principle.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Must be loads of fun taking a state history class in a SC grade school.

Yes it is. It's so much fun you get the class twice, once in elementary school and again in 8th grade. Seriously tho, there's always been much more to our history than a laundry list of racists. The only difference is now the curriculum doesn't revere the people on that list.

[Lincoln Republican]

Strom Thurmond served the people of South Carolina so long and so well and from so many sides of the aisle that he deserves the title.

[Vosem]

F**king arsehole though he was, it seems very difficult to not give John Calhoun the title. Thurmond is in second place.

[sparkey]

Thomas Sumter. Remembered as a Revolutionary partisan general, but was also a very influential and under-appreciated statesman.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Joe "YOU LIE" Wilson.

[Derpist]

This poll is trash without James Byrne.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

This poll is trash without James Byrnes.

ftft

[Green Line]

Lindsey Graham, easily. 

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

No votes for good ole' Cotton Ed?

[Mr. Smith]

Where's Ernest Hollings?

But Tillman of these guys.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Carroll Campbell or Lindsey Graham.

While we're on the subject, South Carolina has a bad habit of producing the biggest scumbags out of their politicians.

[Gary J]

How about Henry Laurens, active in South Carolina's revolutionary era government and President of the Continental Congress in 1777-1778. Captured whilst travelling to Europe on a diplomatic mission and spent 15 months imprisoned in the Tower of London. Someone who genuinely suffered for his political beliefs not just the sort of demagogue most later SC politicians seem to have been.

Failing that option, I would suggest James F. Byrnes. He was South Carolina's greatest statesman and leading federal politician of the 20th century and a far less controversial figure than his leading challenger Strom Thurmond.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

How about Henry Laurens, active in South Carolina's revolutionary era government and President of the Continental Congress in 1777-1778. Captured whilst travelling to Europe on a diplomatic mission and spent 15 months imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Also a professional slave-trader.

[rob in cal]

  James Orr is intriguing.  Was Speaker of the House for a term right before the Civil War, and IIRC was opposed to secession, marking him as the only SC House member against it.  He supported his state during the war, but after it served as Governor during reconstruction and Grants ambassador to Russia during the 1870's.

[Intell]

Calhoun, huge HP, but still Calhoun.

[/]

Umm, Lindsey Graham.

Seriously though.

[Blazinator]

Frank Underwood

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Tossup between Graham and Underwood. Lean Graham, due to his being real.

[Gog]

Frank Underwood