Harvey Smith Peeler Jr. (born September 8, 1948) is an American politician.South Carolina Senate biography
/ref>Official website
/ref> He is a member of the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at ...

, representing the 14th District from since the 1980s, 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, and from October 1989, as a Republican. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2005 to 2016 and

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

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 Party (United States), Republican member of the South Carolina Senate from 1981 until his death in 2021. The 31st District, w ...

S.C. Senate

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

. He resigned as Majority Leader in 2016, passing the position to A. Shane Massey. 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 previously chaired the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, and served as vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 2007. Peeler currently serves on the Senate Ethics, Interstate Cooperation, Medical Affairs and Transportation Committees.

Controversies

Confederate flag

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 missile ...

at the

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, colloquially Mother Emanuel, is a church in Charleston, South Carolina, founded in 1817. It is the oldest AME church in the Southern United States; founded the previous year in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...

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

Peeler was born on September 8, 1948, in

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the county seat, seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate South Carolina, Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,53 ...

. He received a Bachelor of Science from

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

in 1970. He served as a lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1970 to 1972. He is a

dairyman A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

. Peeler married Ila LaDonna Caudill on August 8, 1969, and they have three children: Brantlee Rene, Harvey Smith III, and Boone Solomon. He is the brother of former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor

Bob Peeler Robert Lee "Bob" Peeler (born January 4, 1952) served as the 86th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from January 1995 to January 2003. He was the first Republican Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina since Richard Howell Gleaves served du ...

. Peeler attends Gaffney First Baptist Church. He is a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

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. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over 200 chapters ...

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

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Electoral history

Notes

References

External links

*''Follow the Money'' – Harvey S. Peeler Jr.
2006200420022000
campaign contributions * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Peeler, Harvey S. Jr. 1948 births 21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly American Freemasons Clemson University alumni Dairy farmers Living people People from Gaffney, South Carolina Republican Party South Carolina state senators Baptists from South Carolina 21st-century Baptists 21st-century American farmers 20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly American politicians who switched parties