Arthur Ravenel, a former congressman and state legislator who helped build the Republican Party in South Carolina and got money for the beautiful bridge that dominates the Charleston skyline and was named after him, has passed away. He turned 95.
His family said in a statement that he passed away on Monday. The statement made no sense. Ravenel worked for the government for 60 years. During that time, he was elected to the Senate, State House, and Congress.
He also ran for governor, and after leaving the Senate late in life, returned to public service as a member of the Charleston County School Board.
The $632 million bridge over the Cooper River that connects Charleston and Mount Pleasant is named in his honor for the years he spent in Washington raising money for an iconic bridge that would fit into the charming city where he lived. spent most of his time. life.
At the appropriate time, I will order the flags to be lowered over the State House in memory of the service of Arthur Ravenel, Jr.
— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) January 17, 2023
Ravenel’s ancestors fought for the Confederacy. During the heated debate over removing the Confederate flag from the dome of the Statehouse in 2000, he once referred to the NAACP as the “National Association for Retarded People,” leading people to call for him to resign.
He later voted to remove the flag from the dome and place a similar one on the Statehouse grounds at the Confederate Soldier Monument. Ravenel defended his actions by saying he didn’t have a single racist bone in his body. His African-American colleagues also said he was sometimes willing to help pass their bills.
said Ravenel The associated press in a 2004 interview that he was first elected to the House as a Democrat in 1952, when there were almost no Republicans in his state. “You just heard about Republicans,” he joked. “Sherman was one.”
Ten years later, Ravenel joined the state’s new Republican Party. In 1964, when Barry Goldwater was running for president, he was a delegate to a national convention. Ravenel was elected as a Republican to the Senate in 1980.
“The Democratic Party became more and more liberal”, Ravenel remembered. “As it became more liberal, we were able to recruit more and more people to run.”
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Ravenel was elected to Congress in 1986 from the 1st District, which is located along the coast. Eight years later, he left to run for governor, but David Beasley defeated him in the GOP round. Beasley became governor.
Two years later, Ravenel went back to the Senate with a plan to create an infrastructure bank to pay for expensive highway projects. The bench was a large part of the construction of the Charleston Bridge, which had been talked about for decades but failed to pay for.
Very sad news about a Charleston icon…Arthur Ravenel Jr. is deceased. Our thoughts and prayers with @Thomasravenel and his whole family. https://t.co/DawQ8PZoRp
— Bill Walsh (@BILLWALSHTV) January 16, 2023
Ravenel was a businessman and private investor, but he loved his job in the Senate more than any other job he had. “You’re dealing with people with soft Southern voices, and everyone is very polite,” he remembered. “It is small and with 46 members you can get things done.”
Ravenel had six children, including a son named Thomas, who was elected state treasurer in 2006, but dropped out the following year after being charged with drug crimes.
#NEW ONES:Arthur Ravenel Jr. passed away today at the age of 95. He served in Congress, the SC Senate, and the SC House of Reps. His son, Thomas, tweeted this photo earlier today @ABCNews4 #scnews #chsnews https://t.co/KaJ5DAEl57
— Katy Solt (@katysolt) January 16, 2023
Later, the younger Ravenel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to sell cocaine and was jailed for 10 months. He has spent the past few years starring on the reality TV show “Southern charm‘, which has been going on for five seasons and is about Charleston socialites.
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