Harvey Smith Peeler Jr. (born September 8, 1948) is an American

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 ...

.South Carolina Senate biography
/ref>Official website
/ref> He is a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 14th District from since 1980, initially as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, and from October 1989, as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2005 to 2016 and president of the senate from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, he became Chair of the Finance Committee after the death of

Hugh Leatherman Hugh Kenneth Leatherman Sr. (April 14, 1931 – November 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate from 1981 until his death in 2021. The 31st District, which he represented, is anchored i ...

Early life and career

He was born on September 8, 1948 in

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an esti ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

from

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 enr ...

in 1970. He served as a lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

from 1970 to 1972. He is a dairyman.

Political career

He has served as a state senator for South Carolina since 1981. Peeler became Senate Majority Leader in 2005 after the resignation of

. He resigned as Majority Leader in 2016. In Peeler's first year in the state senate, he formed a voting bloc with

. In 1989, he was one of five Democratic South Carolina legislators to switch to the Republican Party from the Democratic. He has served as chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee since 2001, and vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 2007. He is the brother of former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler.

Confederate flag controversy

In 2015, after the

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

at the

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, often referred to as Mother Emanuel, is a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1817, Emanuel AME is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the Southern United States. This, ...

in Charleston, which killed fellow State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, Peeler voted against removing the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

. Peeler compared removing it to "removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one's obituary". He was one of only three state senators to vote against its removal, the other two being Danny Verdin and

Lee Bright Lee Bright (born March 21, 1970) is an American politician who served as the South Carolina State Senator from the 12th district from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district included Spartanburg County and Greenville County. ...

. Fifteen years earlier, Peeler was one of only seven senators who voted against the flag's removal from the top of the South Carolina Capitol Dome and both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature to its present position on the capitol grounds, arguing that the flag's removal would only worsen race relations. The 2000 vote was a compromise between anti- and pro-flag forces in the wake of an economic boycott of the state.

Personal life

He married Ila LaDonna Caudill on August 8,

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, and they have three children: Brantlee Rene, Harvey Smith III, and Boone Solomon. He attends Gaffney First Baptist Church. He is a Mason and a

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. He is a member of the American Jersey Cattle Association and the American Legion.

Notes

References

External links

*''Follow the Money'' – Harvey S. Peeler Jr.
2006200420022000
campaign contributions * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Peeler, Harvey S. Jr. 1948 births 21st-century American politicians American Freemasons Clemson University alumni Dairy farmers Living people People from Gaffney, South Carolina Republican Party South Carolina state senators