Paul Thurmond

Paul Reynolds Thurmond (born January 9, 1976) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Thurmond is a former member of the South Carolina Senate. He is the youngest child of Strom Thurmond, who served in the United States Senate for 48 years.

Paul Thurmond
Thurmond with his father and Gerald Ford in 1976
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 41st district
In office
January 2013 – January 2017
Preceded byWalter Hundley
Succeeded bySandy Senn
Personal details
Born
Paul Reynolds Thurmond

(1976-01-09) January 9, 1976
Aiken, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelationsJames Strom Thurmond Jr. (brother)
Essie Mae Washington-Williams (half-sister)
Children5
ParentsStrom Thurmond
Nancy Moore Thurmond
Alma mater
OccupationAttorney

Early life
The Thurmond family with President Gerald Ford in 1976
The Thurmond family with President Ronald Reagan in 1983

Paul was born to Nancy (née Moore) and Strom Thurmond on January 9, 1976, the couple's fourth child.[1] Strom was 73 years old at the time of Paul's birth.[2] In February 1976, Strom enrolled Paul in The Citadel for a 1993 admission.[1][3] He attended Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt University, where he received a scholarship to play tennis.[4][5] He received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.[6][7]

Career

Thurmond served as an assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office, leaving the position in 2005 to open his own law firm, formerly Thurmond Kirchner Timbes & Yelverton, P.A., now Thurmond, Kirchner, and Timbes Law Firm[6] In 2006, he was elected to the Charleston County council. Though he initially announced he would leave politics in 2009, opting not to run for a second term as a councilman,[8] Thurmond chose to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, representing South Carolina's 1st congressional district, following Henry E. Brown, Jr.'s retirement in 2010.[9] Thurmond finished second in the Republican primary, forcing a runoff election against Tim Scott.[10] Scott defeated Thurmond in the runoff.[11]

Thurmond ran for the South Carolina Senate in 2012 to represent the 41st district. The seat was vacated by Glenn F. McConnell, who became Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.[12] Thurmond defeated Walter Hundley, who succeeded McConnell in a special election held in July 2012.[13] Thurmond won the general election, defeating Paul Tinkler, a Charleston City Councilman and member of the Democratic Party, on November 6, 2012.[14]

Thurmond did not seek re-election in 2016. The American Conservative Union gave him an 88% evaluation and the Club for Growth gave him a 90% evaluation.[15]

Confederate flag

In a speech to the State Senate in July 2015, Thurmond called for the Confederate flag to be permanently removed from the grounds of the State House.[16] The move was triggered by the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston which occurred a month earlier, in which nine people—including Thurmond's colleague Clementa Pinckney—were killed. The massacre was carried out by white supremacist Dylann Roof, who was a prominent exhibitionist of the flag.

Personal

Thurmond has a wife, Katie, three sons and two daughters.[7] He is the half brother of the late Essie Mae Washington-Williams, 50 years his senior through his father.

References
  1. "Paul Reynolds Thurmond..." Eugene Register-Guard. Wire Service Reports. February 23, 1976. p. 2A.
  2. "Thurmond Names New Baby". The Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. Associated Press. January 12, 1976. p. 14.
  3. "Thurmonds Get a Headstart". Times Daily. United Press International. February 23, 1976. p. 8.
  4. "Thurmond says he'll seek First District Congressional seat". SCNow. January 20, 2010.
  5. Brewington, Peter (April 22, 1994). "Christ the King points with pride to success in getting scholarships". USA Today. Retrieved December 17, 2012. (subscription required)
  6. "Thurmond leaving solicitor's office to open law firm with 2 friends". The Post and Courier. August 1, 2005. p. 3E.
  7. "Thurmond says he'll seek First District Congressional seat". The Morning News (SCNow.com). January 20, 2010.
  8. "Paul Thurmond leaving politics, for now". The State. South Carolina. October 7, 2009. p. 15. (subscription required)
  9. "Paul Thurmond to run for congressional seat – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  10. Behre, Robert. Thurmond, Scott head for runoff, Charleston Post and Courier, June 9, 2010.
  11. Kiely, Kathy.Tim Scott wins nomination to become first black Republican congressman since 2003, USA Today, June 22, 2010.
  12. "Thurmond, Pinckney for S.C. Senate – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  13. "Thurmond defeats Hundley handily in Dist. 41 primary runoff – Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports". Live5News.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  14. "AP.org "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results" Accessed November 7, 2012". Hosted.ap.org. November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  15. "Charleston Post & Courier "State Sen. Paul Thurmond won't run for re-election next year" Accessed January 25, 2017". Evening Post Industries. August 10, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
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