Robert McNair | |
---|---|
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 |
Cades, South Carolina, U.S. |
December 14, 1923
Died |
November 17, 2007 (aged 83) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Josephine Robinson |
Education | University of South Carolina, Columbia (BA, JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | 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.
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 and was initiated into the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He practiced 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.
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.