A Tribute to Senator J. Strom Thurmond

Thurmond in 1974, photo SCETV archives

On Tuesday, July 1, 2003 James Strom Thurmond was laid to rest in his home town of Edgefield, South Carolina. At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the
Strom Thurmond Foundation, POB 50214, Columbia, SC 29250
Aiken’s First Baptist Church, POB 3157, Aiken, SC 29801 or
Edgefield County Hospital, POB 590, Edgefield, SC 29824

A legend in his own time, Thurmond made the transition from the Democratic to the Republican party long before it became the "in" thing to do. He was the first member of the U.S. Senate to ever win the election on a write-in ballot, and at the age of 100 he was the oldest and longest serving member of the United States Senate. South Carolina, and the rest of the country mourns his death.

"My friend and colleague of thirty-six years here in the Senate is gone, and a giant oak in the forest of public service has fallen." Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-South Carolina

"Strom Thurmond will forever be a symbol of what one person can accomplish when they live life, as we all know he did, to the fullest." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee

"In his remarkable six decades of public service, Senator Thurmond advanced the cause of freedom for America and his beloved South Carolina...Senator Thurmond not only changed with the times, he led his times. He was a true statesman, not a politician. In the truest sense of the word Senator Thurmond was a gentleman – a gentle man – whose caring, humble and winsome spirit brought joy to all those around him." Rep. Jim DeMint, South Carolina

"He had enthusiasm and passion like no one I've ever met in my life. South Carolina's favorite son is gone, but he'll never be forgotten." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina

"Thurmond was in many respects a legend. He was a governor, a presidential candidate, a soldier, a father, a citizen." Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota

"With the death of Strom Thurmond, South Carolina has lost its greatest statesman of the 20th Century, just as John C. Calhoun was the most revered South Carolinian of the 19th Century." Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina

"Constituent service became his middle name -- whatever you wanted, whatever you needed, Sen. Thurmond made it happen." Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-South Carolina