Elizabeth Colbert Busch (born December 10, 1954)
is an American
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who is the Director of Business Development at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
's Restoration Institute, and was the Democratic Party nominee for the
2013 special election for
South Carolina's 1st congressional district
The 1st congressional district of South Carolina is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 electio ...
, losing to
Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...
.
She is the sister of comedian
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
.
Early life and education
Born in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, Colbert Busch is the eighth of eleven children of parents
James William Colbert Jr., who served as the first Vice President of Academic Affairs at the
Medical University of South Carolina
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in South Carolina. It opened in 1824 in Charleston as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acr ...
, and Lorna (''née'' Tuck) Colbert, who was a homemaker.
The Colbert family is of 15/16ths Irish ancestry; one of her paternal great-great-grandmothers was of German and English descent.
Many of her ancestors emigrated from Ireland to North America in the 19th century before and during the
Great Famine.
["Faces of America: Stephen Colbert"](_blank)
, PBS, ''Faces of America
''Faces of America'' is a four-part Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television television series hosted by Professor Henry Louis Gates. The series originally aired February 10 – March 3, 2010 from 8–9 p.m. ET.[Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African Amer ...]
(2010).["Pedigree of Stephen Colbert"](_blank)
, AncestorTree.net; retrieved August 29, 2010.
Colbert Busch briefly attended the
University of South Carolina, but returned to Charleston after her father and two brothers Peter and Paul were among the 71 passengers who died on
Eastern Air Lines Flight 212
Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 was a controlled flight into terrain accident of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 during approach to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. The incident occurred on September 11, 1974, killing 72 of the 8 ...
, in 1974. She then enrolled in the
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
, receiving her
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in Intermodal Transportation and
Logistics Management
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
, and was named to the National Dean's List in 1988.
Elizabeth Colbert Busch is married to Claus Wyman Busch III. She has three children with her ex-husband Robert Legare: Mary Legare Middleton (grandchildren Elizabeth Ann and Thomas Bradley Middleton Jr.); Robert Walker Legare Jr; and Catherine Ann Legare.
She was arrested in 1988 for
contempt of court
Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...
during her divorce from her previous husband.
Career
After graduating, she completed a South Carolina State Ports Authority business development internship, and worked for Associated Maritime Industries Inc, as a liaison between the AMI and the
U.S. Federal and State Governments.
She then worked as the Regional Director for Sales and Marketing and the Director of Business Development at
Orient Overseas Container Line
Orient Overseas Container Line, commonly known as OOCL, is a container shipping and logistics service company with headquarters in Hong Kong. The company is incorporated in Hong Kong as Orient Overseas Container Line Limited and separately inc ...
(OOCL), where she was responsible for international maritime relations and South Atlantic and North American sales. She left OOCL in 2008, when she was hired as Director of Business Development at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
's Restoration Institute, described by the Charleston
Post and Courier
''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
as "the school's corporate matchmaker" for the university's development projects for wind turbine testing, water studies, and renewable energy.
Colbert Busch also works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Clemson's Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility.
Colbert Busch is a founder and former member of the Executive Board of Directors of Charleston Women in International Trade, and former member of the College of Charleston's Business College Alumni Advisory Board. She has served as chairwoman of the 2006 S.C. International Trade Conference, the chairwoman of the Maritime Association Port of Charleston and is board member of the Charleston Metro
Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...
.
2013 congressional campaign
On January 18, 2013, Colbert Busch announced that she would run as a Democrat in the 2013 special election for
South Carolina's 1st congressional district
The 1st congressional district of South Carolina is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 electio ...
to fill the vacancy created when
Tim Scott
Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Scott was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Go ...
was appointed to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
after incumbent Senator
Jim DeMint
James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American political advocate, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of the Heritage Foundation. DeMint is a member ...
resigned to head conservative
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
. In the March 19 Democratic primary, she was to face Charleston businessman Martin Skelly, the founder of the
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n-based
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...
firm UFG Asset Management.
On February 11, 2013, Martin Skelly dropped out of the race, endorsing Colbert Busch.
On March 19, 2013, Colbert Busch handily won the Democratic primary with over 95% of the vote compared to perennial candidate
Ben Frasier Benjamin Frasier Jr. (born c. 1942) is a perennial candidate for political office in South Carolina, having run for Congress over fifteen times since 1972. Weigel, David (5 April 2013)The Alvin Greene Scam: It Lives! ''Slate (magazine)'' He actually ...
's 4%. In the special election she was defeated by former
South Carolina Governor
The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the ''ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...
Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...
. Colbert Busch garnered 45.3% of the vote compared to
Sanford's 54.2%.
Colbert Busch supported background checks as part of a
gun control bill that was defeated by the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
.
References
External links
*
Founding Member profileat Charleston Women in International Trade (CWIT)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colbert Busch, Elizabeth
Stephen Colbert
1954 births
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
Clemson University people
College of Charleston alumni
Living people
People from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
People from St. Louis
South Carolina Democrats
University of South Carolina alumni