Ernest Hollings | |
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United States Senator from South Carolina |
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In office November 9, 1966 – January 3, 2005 |
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Preceded by | Donald Russell |
Succeeded by | Jim DeMint |
106th Governor of South Carolina | |
In office January 20, 1959 – January 15, 1963 |
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Lieutenant | Burnet R. Maybank Jr. |
Preceded by | George Timmerman, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Donald Russell |
77th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina | |
In office January 18, 1955 – January 20, 1959 |
|
Governor | George Timmerman, Jr. |
Preceded by | George Timmerman, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Burnet Maybank Jr. |
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Charleston County | |
In office January 11, 1949 – January 11, 1955 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Ernest Frederick Hollings January 1, 1922 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Martha Patricia Salley Rita Liddy |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater |
The Citadel University of South Carolina, Columbia |
Religion | Lutheran |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (born January 1, 1922) served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina (1959–1963) and the 77th Lieutenant Governor (1955–1959). He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history. He served alongside Republican Strom Thurmond for 36 of those years, making them the longest-serving Senate duo in history, and Hollings the most senior junior senator from a state. At the age of 95, he is currently the oldest living U.S. Senator.
Hollings was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Wilhelmine Dorothea (Meyer) and Adolph Gevert Hollings, Sr. He was raised at 338 President St. in the Hampton Park Terrace neighborhood from the age of ten through enrolling in college. He graduated from The Citadel in 1942, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received an LL.B. from the University of South Carolina in 1947 after only 21 months of study, and joined a law practice in Charleston. Hollings is a brother of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He was married to Rita Liddy "Peatsy" Hollings from 1971 until her death in October 2012. He had four children (Michael, Helen, Patricia Salley, and Ernest the 3rd) with his first wife, (Martha) Patricia Salley Hollings. He is a Lutheran. In addition, Fritz and Patricia had two sons who died.