Robert Evander McNair

Robert McNair
McNair as Governor
108th Governor of South Carolina
In office April 22, 1965 – January 19, 1971
Lieutenant	John C. West
Preceded by	Donald S. Russell
Succeeded by	John C. West
79th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office January 15, 1963 – April 22, 1965
Governor	Donald S. Russell
Preceded by	Burnet R. Maybank Jr.
Succeeded by	John C. West
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the Allendale County district
In office January 9, 1951 – January 8, 1963
Preceded by	Audrey Williams
Succeeded by	George Kearse
Personal details
Born	Robert Evander McNair (1923-12-14)December 14, 1923 Cades, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	November 17, 2007(2007-11-17) (aged 83) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Josephine Robinson
Education	University of South Carolina (BA) University of South Carolina School of Law (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Bronze Star

Robert Evander McNair Sr. (December 14, 1923 – November 17, 2007) was the 108th governor of South Carolina, a Democrat, who served from 1965 to 1971.

Early life and education

McNair was born in Cades, a town in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. In 1944, he married Josephine Robinson of Allendale, South Carolina. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, having been awarded a Bronze Star. 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. He received a law degree 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 fraternity.

Early career

He went on to practice law in Moncks Corner and Allendale, South Carolina. from which he was elected in 1950 to the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1962, then succeeded Donald S. Russell in 1965 when Russell resigned with the understanding that McNair would appoint him to a then-vacant United States Senate seat.

Governor of South Carolina

McNair at his inauguration

McNair won the 1966 general election over State Representative Joseph O. Rogers, Jr., of Manning, the first Republican gubernatorial nominee in South Carolina in the 20th century.

Orangeburg Massacre

McNair was governor during the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968, which he blamed on Black Power advocates, and called it a stain on the state's good record in civil rights. In 2006, 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 of the public schools.

National politics

In 1968, McNair was considered as a potential running mate for Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey. At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, 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, 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 during a checkup on September 28, 2007, from which he died in Charleston on November 17. 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.

External links

• SC Governors – Robert Evander McNair, 1965–1971 from the South Carolina Information Highway
• Robert McNair: In His Own Words Documents from the Robert E. McNair Papers at South Carolina Political Collections
• Governor Robert E. McNair Collection at the South Carolina Department of Archives & History (RG 551000)