St. Julian Devine (July 5, 1911 – April 27, 2000) was an American politician from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Devine served on the Charleston City Council from 1967 to 1975, making him the first African American member on the council since Reconstruction. He also served as Mayor Pro Tem in 1975.

Biography

Devine moved to Charleston as a child. His father, Paul Devine, was a political activist during Reconstruction. In 1924, St. Julian Devine joined the Marcus Garvey movement, a movement seeking to promote freedom for African Americans. He would go on to own several businesses including a moving company. Devine was readily active in civic life in the African American community of Charleston, participating in organizations such as the local

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

chapter. In 1967, Devine ran for a seat on the city council. He received the endorsement of Mayor J. Palmer Gaillard Jr. who had previously promised to endorse an African American candidate. Devine's campaign was assisted by a young Jim Clyburn who came up with the slogan "Devine for Ward Nine." Clyburn credited the Devine campaign as the reason he got into elective politics.

St. Julian Devine Community Center

The City of Charleston's old trash incinerator was converted into the St. Julian Devine Community Center which now serves the local neighborhood. In 2015, the

Charleston Parks Conservancy Charleston Parks Conservancy is a non-profit group supporting park renovations, improvements, and restorations in Charleston, South Carolina. It was founded in 2007 and is funded by donations. The Conservancy was started by local businesswoman Darla ...

announced plans to renovate the park. Renovations are ongoing. Abruptly in August 2020, the city of Charleston announced plans to demolish the remaining smoke stacks from the trash incinerator, citing a report which stated that they were unstable. The city reversed course the next month. It has since budgeted $700,000 to restore the smokestacks out of an expected cost of $3 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, St. Julian 1911 births 2000 deaths People from Berkeley County, South Carolina Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina South Carolina city council members 20th-century American politicians