Robert Evander McNair Sr. (December 14, 1923November 17, 2007) was the 108th governor of South Carolina, 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 ...

, who served from 1965 to 1971.

Early life and education

McNair was born in

Cades CADES (Computer Aided Design and Evaluation System) was a software engineering system produced to support the design and development of the VME/B Operating System for the International Computers Limited, ICL New Range - subsequently 2900 - comput ...

, a town in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. In 1944, he married Josephine Robinson of Allendale, South Carolina. He served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

during World War II, having been awarded a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. After the war, he completed his bachelor's degree in 1947 at the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the

Euphradian Society The Euphradian Society, also known as (Phi Alpha Epsilon), a local societyThus not to be confused with Phi Alpha Epsilon, the national architectural engineering society of the same name. is a literary society A literary society is a group of pe ...

. He received a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

at the same school in 1948. While attending USC, McNair served as the first governor of the South Carolina Student Legislature, was initiated into the

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

fraternity.

Early career

He went on to practice law in

Moncks Corner Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-S ...

and Allendale, South Carolina. from which he was elected in 1950 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 ...

. He was elected

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 1962, then succeeded

Donald S. Russell Donald Stuart Russell (February 22, 1906 – February 22, 1998) was an American attorney from South Carolina who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration, President of the University of South Carolina, governor of South Car ...

in 1965 when Russell resigned with the understanding that McNair would appoint him to a then-vacant

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 ...

seat.

Governor of South Carolina

McNair won the 1966

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

over State Representative Joseph O. Rogers, Jr., of

Manning Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name. Origin and meaning Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...

, the first Republican gubernatorial nominee in South Carolina in the 20th century.

Orangeburg Massacre

McNair was governor during the

Orangeburg Massacre The Orangeburg massacre refers to the shooting of protesters by South Carolina Highway Patrol officers in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on the South Carolina State University campus on the evening of February 8, 1968. About 200 protesters had prev ...

in 1968, which he blamed on Black Power advocates, and called it a stain on the state's good record in

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

. In 2006, McNair, decades after leaving office, McNair admitted responsibility for the deaths of the three Black civil rights activists killed in Orangeburg. He said it was "one of the saddest days in the history of South Carolina." Following this, McNair became much more proactive in working to defuse tensions that were present during the

integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...

of the public schools.

National politics

In 1968, McNair was considered as a potential running mate for Democratic

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

. At the

1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...

, McNair served as chair of the Southern Governors Conference.

Death and legacy

After his term as governor, he originated McNair Law Firm, P.A. in Columbia. He was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame, and awarded an honorary doctorate in 2005 by

Francis Marion University Francis Marion University is a public university near Florence, South Carolina. It is named in honor of American Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion. History The university dates back to 1957, when the University of South Caro ...

, a school which he signed into creation while governor in 1970. On May 21, 2009, McNair was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame. McNair was diagnosed with a cancerous

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

during a checkup on September 28, 2007, from which he died in Charleston on November 17.Former SC Gov. Robert McNair dies at 83
The following week, on November 25, 2007, the late Governor McNair's widow, former First Lady of South Carolina, Josephine Robinson McNair, died at age 84. On December 19, 2007, about a month after her parents died, Claudia Crawford McNair died at age 50. She was from Jamestown in Berkeley County, South Carolina. On January 22, 2008, his son, Robert E. McNair, Jr., of Columbia, died at age 60 after a seven-year battle with cancer.

References

External links

SC Governors – Robert Evander McNair, 1965–1971
from the ''South Carolina Information Highway''

Documents from th
Robert E. McNair Papers
at South Carolina Political Collections

at the South Carolina Department of Archives & History (RG 551000) , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McNair, Robert Evander 1923 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in South Carolina Democratic Party governors of South Carolina Lawyers from Columbia, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives People from Williamsburg County, South Carolina Politicians from Columbia, South Carolina South Carolina lawyers University of South Carolina alumni University of South Carolina trustees 20th-century American lawyers