Carroll A. Campbell Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Campbell,c. 1987 | |
| 112thGovernor of South Carolina | |
| In office January 14, 1987 – January 11, 1995 | |
| Lieutenant | Nick Theodore |
| Preceded by | Richard Riley |
| Succeeded by | David Beasley |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office August 17, 1993 – July 19, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Romer |
| Succeeded by | Howard Dean |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | James Mann |
| Succeeded by | Liz J. Patterson |
| Member of theSouth Carolina Senate from the 2nd district | |
| In office January 11, 1977 – November 6, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Riley |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Richardson |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives fromGreenville County | |
| In office December 1970 – December 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Wesley Greene |
| Succeeded by | None (district eliminated) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr. (1940-07-24)July 24, 1940 |
| Died | December 7, 2005(2005-12-07) (aged 65) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of South Carolina, Columbia American University (MA) |
Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr. (July 24, 1940 – December 7, 2005), was an AmericanRepublican politician who served as the112th governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995. Prior to this, he served as a member of theSouth Carolina Senate representing the 2nd district from 1977 to 1978 and as a congressman representingSouth Carolina's 4th district from 1979 to 1987.
Campbell was born inGreenville, South Carolina, the oldest of six children. His father, Carroll A. Campbell Sr. worked in the textile mills and the furniture business, and later owned a motel inGarden City, South Carolina.
Campbell grew up in Greenville and the nearby cities ofLiberty andSimpsonville. He attended Greenville Senior High School, dropping out during a period thatThe Greenville News characterized as an "unsettled adolescence amid a disintegrating family";[1] his uncle then enrolled him at theprivateMcCallie School inChattanooga, Tennessee. He attended theUniversity of South Carolina atColumbia but withdrew because of financial concerns[2] and later graduated with aMaster of Arts degree fromAmerican University.[3] While a student at South Carolina, he became a member of the Sigma chapter of thePi Kappa Phifraternity.[1]
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In 1970, Campbell took a leading role opposing the racial integration of public schools in Greenville. He spoke to a crowd of thousands in front of Parker High School against integration, and on January 25 he led a motorcade of 800 vehicles to thestate capitol in Columbia to protest "forced busing" of students to integrated schools.[2]
Campbell served in theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from 1970 to 1974[3] during the administration of GovernorJohn C. West, who defeated Republican nomineeAlbert Watson, the choice ofU.S. SenatorStrom Thurmond, in the1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election. WithLee Atwater as a key political strategist, he made an unsuccessful bid forlieutenant governor in1974 running to serve alongside Republican gubernatorial nomineeJames B. Edwards ofCharleston. While Edwards was elected, Campbell lost to DemocratBrantley Harvey; despite the loss Campbell would continue to seek Atwater's counsel throughout his career.
From 1976 to 1978, during the Edwards administration, he served in theSouth Carolina Senate. In between his two stints in theGeneral Assembly, he served as executive assistant to Governor Edwards. In1978, Campbell won election to theUnited States House of Representatives from the Greenville-basedSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district; he defeated Max M. Heller, the Democratic mayor of Greenville and an immigrant fromAustria, to fill the seat vacated by the retiringJames Mann.[4] Campbell hence became the first Republican to hold the 4th district seat sinceReconstruction.Campbell served as state campaign chairman forRonald Reagan'spresidential campaign in 1980 and1984, and as southern regional chairman forGeorge H. W. Bush'spresidential campaign in 1988.
As governor, Campbell coordinated the state's response toHurricane Hugo in 1989. Campbell was also known for his role in luringBMW to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility inGreer, South Carolina.[5] In recognition of his role, in 2002 it was announced that BMW had donated $10 million for a facility at the site ofClemson University's International Center for Automotive Research.[4] Like nearly all such large donations, it came withnaming rights: the company chose to call the new facility the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center.
When Campbell was governor, the state was confronted with two major controversies shaking taxpayers' confidence in the trustworthiness of public officials. Allegations of financial mismanagement at theUniversity of South Carolina led to university presidentJames B. Holderman's resignation.Operation Lost Trust, a federal investigation of bribery and drug use allegations against members of the South Carolina General Assembly, led to convictions of twenty-seven legislators, lobbyists and others in a vote-buying scandal.[5]
During 1993–1994, Campbell was the chairman of theNational Governors Association.
Term limits prevented him from seeking a third term in the1994 election.[5] He left office with a job approval rating of 72 percent.[6]
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Near the end of his term, there was speculation that Campbell would be a candidate forPresident of the United States in1996. However, citing long odds and the lengthy commitment it would be, he announced he wouldn't run on June 3, 1994.[7] From 1995 to 2001, Campbell was a Washington, D.C.lobbyist, serving as president and CEO of theAmerican Council of Life Insurers.[5]
Following his decision not to run for president, Campbell was mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate forBob Dole.[8] Campbell even used the speculation to convince South Carolina legislators to support Dole.[9] He was ultimately passed over in favor ofJack Kemp, the former U.S. Representative fromNew York's 31st congressional district andUnited States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush.[6]
In 1998, Campbell and former South Carolina First LadyLois Rhame West became the co-chairs ofWinthrop University's firstcapital campaign. Under Campbell and West, the campaign raised more than $30 million.[10]
In 2001, Campbell declined offers fromGeorge W. Bush to serve asU.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia or theU.S. Ambassador to Australia due to a lack of interest.[11]
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Campbell eloped withIris Faye Rhodes in 1959.[7] They had two sons, Carroll Campbell III, and Mike Campbell, the former of whom unsuccessfully sought the 2010 Republican nomination forSouth Carolina's 1st congressional district to succeed RepresentativeHenry Brown; and the latter of whom was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina in 2006. The family owns franchises forWendy's restaurants in South Carolina.[12]
In October 2001, at the age of 61, Campbell was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease.[13] The revelation forced him to abandon plans to run for governor again in2002. He was admitted to a long-term residential treatment facility for Alzheimer's patients in August 2005. He died of aheart attack on December 7 of that year at Lexington Medical Center inWest Columbia.[14] Afterlying in state at theState House, he was eulogized at memorial services atTrinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia and at All Saints Episcopal Church inPawleys Island.[15][16] He was buried in the church cemetery of All Saints Episcopal Church.[8]
Upon Campbell's death,David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada and formerSpeaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, described him as "the master architect" of the South Carolina Republican Party's speedy rise to dominance.[9]
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| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of South Carolina 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by W. D. Workman | Republican nominee forGovernor of South Carolina 1986,1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Governors Association 1990–1991 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district 1979–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of South Carolina 1987–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1993–1994 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
