Ibra Charles Blackwood (November 21, 1878February 12, 1936) was the 97th Governor of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

from 1931 to 1935.

Biography

Born in rural

Spartanburg County, South Carolina Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanburg ...

, Blackwood studied at Furman University preparatory school and obtained his law degree from

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

. During this time he became a brother of Pi Kappa Alpha. He then began to practice law in

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

. At the age of 24, Blackwood was elected to the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

in 1902. From 1914 to 1916, Blackwood served as a

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

for the Internal Revenue Service after which he became the solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of South Carolina. Blackwood won a contested Democratic primary in 1930 to become the 97th governor of South Carolina. His term as governor was noted for the creation of the

South Carolina Public Service Authority __NOTOC__ Santee Cooper, also known officially from the 1930s as the South Carolina Public Service Authority, is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility that came into being during the New Deal as both a rural electrification and ...

in 1934 which provided for a

hydroelectric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

Pinopolis Dam Pinopolis Dam is a dam in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The earthen and concrete dam was completed in 1941 by Santee Cooper, the state-owned electric and water utility also known as South Carolina Public Service Authority. The dam is 138 feet ...

and the construction of numerous dams on the Santee and Cooper Rivers. A major

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

in 1934 by the majority of

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

workers in the state forced Governor Blackwood to call up the

South Carolina National Guard The South Carolina National Guard consists of the South Carolina Army National Guard and the South Carolina Air National Guardbr> American law specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guar ...

. However, the strike was so severe that the Governor had to commission "constables without compensation" and 6 strikers were killed by these special deputies in Honea Path on September 6. Blackwood resumed the practice of law in Spartanburg upon leaving the governorship in 1935. He died almost a year later on February 12, 1936, and is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.

References

1878 births 1936 deaths 20th-century American politicians Wofford College alumni South Carolina lawyers Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees South Carolina state solicitors People from Spartanburg County, South Carolina Internal Revenue Service people Tax collectors {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub