Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr. (July 24, 1940December 7, 2005), was an American Republican politician who served as the 112th governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995. Prior to this, he served as a member of the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at ...

representing the 2nd district from 1977 to 1978 and as a congressman representing South Carolina's 4th district from 1979 to 1987.

Early life

Campbell was born in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, 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 in Garden City, South Carolina. Campbell grew up in Greenville and the nearby cities of

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and Simpsonville. He attended Greenville Senior High School, dropping out during a period that ''

The Greenville News ''The Greenville News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. After ''The State (newspaper), The State'' in Columbia and Charleston's ''The Post and Courier'', it is the third largest paper in South Carolina. Hi ...

'' characterized as an "unsettled adolescence amid a disintegrating family"; his uncle then enrolled him at the

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

McCallie School The McCallie School is a boys' University-preparatory school, college-preparatory school located on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The school was founded in 1905 and now has 322 boarding students in grades 9–12 and ...

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

. He attended the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

at Columbia but withdrew because of financial concerns and later graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

. While a student at South Carolina, he became a member of the Sigma chapter of the

Pi Kappa Phi Pi Kappa Phi (), commonly known as Pi Kapp(s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr. on De ...

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

Early political career

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 the state capitol in Columbia to protest "forced busing" of students to integrated schools. Campbell served in the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

from 1970 to 1974 during the administration of Governor John C. West, who defeated Republican nominee Albert Watson, the choice of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

, in the 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election. With Lee Atwater as a key political strategist, he made an unsuccessful bid for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

running to serve alongside Republican gubernatorial nominee James B. Edwards of Charleston. While Edwards was elected, Campbell lost to Democrat Brantley 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 the

. In between his two stints in the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

, he served as executive assistant to Governor Edwards. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, Campbell won election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from the Greenville-based South Carolina's 4th congressional district; he defeated Max M. Heller, the Democratic mayor of Greenville and an immigrant from

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, to fill the seat vacated by the retiring James Mann. Campbell hence became the first Republican to hold the 4th district seat since

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. Campbell served as state campaign chairman for

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

's presidential campaign in 1980 and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, and as southern regional chairman for

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

's presidential campaign in 1988.

Governor of South Carolina (1987–1995)

As governor, Campbell coordinated the state's response to

Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. The eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth Tropical cyclone naming, named st ...

in 1989. Campbell was also known for his role in luring

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility in

Greer, South Carolina Greer is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,308, making ...

. In recognition of his role, in 2002 it was announced that BMW had donated $10 million for a facility at the site of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

's International Center for Automotive Research. Like nearly all such large donations, it came with

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

: 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 the

led to university president James 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. During 1993–1994, Campbell was the chairman of the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

Term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

prevented him from seeking a third term in the 1994 election. He left office with a job approval rating of 72 percent.

Subsequent career

Near the end of his term, there was speculation that Campbell would be a candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. However, citing long odds and the lengthy commitment it would be, he announced he wouldn't run on June 3, 1994. From 1995 to 2001, Campbell was a Washington, D.C.

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

, serving as president and CEO of the

American Council of Life Insurers The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) is the leading trade association driving public policy and advocacy on behalf of the life insurance industry. Based in Washington, D.C., ACLI advocates on behalf of 275 member companies whose products a ...

. Following his decision not to run for president, Campbell was mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...

. Campbell even used the speculation to convince South Carolina legislators to support Dole. He was ultimately passed over in favor of

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professional Gridiron football, football player, and U.S. Army veteran. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from New York, he served a ...

, the former U.S. Representative from

New York's 31st congressional district New York's 31st congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York (state), New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 2000 United States census, 2000 census. It was last represen ...

and

United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. T ...

under President

. In 1998, Campbell and former South Carolina First Lady Lois Rhame West became the co-chairs of

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a ...

's first

capital campaign Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. Under Campbell and West, the campaign raised more than $30 million. In 2001, Campbell declined offers from

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia or the U.S. Ambassador to Australia due to a lack of interest.

Personal life

Campbell eloped with Iris Faye Rhodes in 1959. They had two sons, Carroll Campbell III, and Mike Campbell, the former of whom unsuccessfully sought the 2010 Republican nomination for

South Carolina's 1st congressional district South Carolina's 1st congressional district is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democratic Party (United States), Demo ...

to succeed Representative Henry Brown; and the latter of whom was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina in 2006. The family owns franchises for

Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...

restaurants in South Carolina. In October 2001, at the age of 61, Campbell was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. The revelation forced him to abandon plans to run for governor again in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. He was admitted to a long-term residential treatment facility for Alzheimer's patients in August 2005. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on December 7 of that year at Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia. After

lying in state Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a ...

at the State House, he was eulogized at memorial services at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia and at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pawleys Island. He was buried in the church cemetery of All Saints Episcopal Church. Upon Campbell's death, David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada and former Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, described him as "the master architect" of the South Carolina Republican Party's speedy rise to dominance.

Election history

1986 South Carolina Governor * Carroll Campbell (Republican), 51% * Michael R. Daniel (Democrat), 47% 1990 South Carolina Governor * Carroll Campbell (Republican), 69% * Theo Mitchell (Democrat), 27%

References

Notes Sources * *
The Once and Future King?
from a June 2000 column in ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...

'' *
The Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center
at

External links and general sources

Carroll Campbell Bio, Education, Occupations, Timeline of Major Events and Accomplishments, Election Results
SCIway.net; accessed August 4, 2017.
Biography
from the

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

; accessed August 4, 2017.
Former S.C. governor has Alzheimer's
an October 2001 ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' article; accessed August 4, 2017. * , a December 7, 2005 blog entry from Campbell's former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Biography of Carroll A. Campbell Jr.
National Governors Association website; accessed August 4, 2017. *
Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr. Papers
a
South Carolina Political Collections
(University of South Carolina)
Carroll Campbell Papers
(Mss. 0087) at

Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. Papers
(RG 555000) at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History
1987 Carroll Campbell Swearing in Ceremony
on

South Carolina Educational Television South Carolina Educational Television (branded South Carolina ETV, SCETV or simply ETV) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is operated by the South Carolina Educational Television C ...

1991 Carroll Campbell Swearing in Ceremony
on

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Carroll A. Jr. 1940 births 2005 deaths Republican Party governors of South Carolina Republican Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Republican Party South Carolina state senators University of South Carolina trustees University of South Carolina alumni American University alumni Greenville Senior High School (Greenville, South Carolina) alumni Politicians from Greenville, South Carolina Episcopalians from South Carolina Deaths from dementia in South Carolina Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in the United States 20th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly