South Carolina Political Collections University of South Carolina Libraries Democratic Party of South Carolina Records, 1924-2008 Bulk, 1966-2008 Volume: 85 linear feet Processed: Originally processed by multiple staff members, c. 1988-1992; additions processed by Stephanie Stewart, 2004; reprocessed and significant additions added by Laura Litwer and Caitlin Mans, 2011-2012 Provenance: Donated by the Democratic Party of South Carolina Citation Form: Democratic Party of South Carolina Records, South Carolina Political Collections, The University of South Carolina Copyright: Copyright of the Democratic Party of South Carolina Records has been transferred to the University of South Carolina 1 Organizational History With roots dating back to the 18th century, the Democratic Party is the oldest continuously operational political party in South Carolina. However, the modern iteration of the party is frequently dated to 1876, when the election of Wade Hampton III as governor brought an end to the state’s Republican Reconstruction government and ushered in an era of almost absolute Democratic dominance in the state. As Don Fowler writes in the South Carolina Encyclopedia: Although there were vast differences of ideology, style, and sophistication among state Democrats, one overriding, enduring value and purpose held it together: maintaining a segregated party and society and ‘keeping the Negro population in their place,’ as well as an intense aversion to the Republican Party. Conflicts within the Democratic Party included elites versus populists, lowcountry versus upstate, mill workers versus mill owners, and conflicts of personality among political leaders. Without question, the dominant, controlling influence in South Carolina politics (and therefore the Democratic Party) was the established, conservative economic and social order.1 The Democratic Party of South Carolina (DPSC) exercised near-complete control over the state’s political scene through World War II. As a result, the party had to expend little effort in promoting itself or its candidates – a fact reflected in the paucity of records documenting its early 20th century activities. In the decades following the war, social changes that swept the nation forced state Democratic officials to try to balance the social conservatism of their traditional voter base with increasing political participation and demands for inclusion by minority groups and the national party’s broad support of the civil rights, women’s rights, and anti-war movements.2 The state party’s attempts to cultivate support of African Americans and women are especially well documented in the elections, conventions, and issues series of this collection. Despite the party’s attempts to be responsive and retain its popularity with the electorate, increasing numbers of socially and economically conservative voters were attracted to the well- organized, active, and increasingly successful Republican Party.3 These changes did not occur overnight, but by the time a report titled “Party Organization and the State Headquarters” was completed in 1967, state Democratic leaders recognized that they needed to change if they wanted to effectively contend for political power. In addition to urging the party and candidates to switch their focus from the primary to the General Election (where an increasing number of offices were being contested), the reporting committee concluded that the party must expand its operations in order to successfully organize votes, money, and ongoing support. The report is echoed in later records, as the evolving political scene required the party to organize more effectively. As then-Chairman Don Fowler wrote to S. E. Lowry on December 28, 1972: Here in South Carolina we have a lot of basic grassroots work to do. We cannot rest any longer on our laurels as Democrats and think automatically everybody else is a Democrat. We are faced with significant challenges all up and down the line and if we don’t take some positive corrective action we are going to find ourselves out in the woods -- as you well know. [….] I think that we have got to look 1 Donald L. Fowler, “Democratic Party,” in The South Carolina Encyclopedia, ed. Walter Edgar (Columbia, SC: U. of South Carolina Press, 2006), 257. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 2 towards specific programs of action to strengthen our Party rather than just deal with sentimentality about getting together and doing better. We have got to think in concrete terms of doing things.4 The “concrete” efforts of the DPSC to adapt to changes affecting the country and state and the ascendancy of the Republican Party are well documented in the collection, especially in materials dating from the socially and politically tumultuous 1970s. Despite the loss of its political supremacy in the second half of the 20th century, the DPSC has remained a viable and active force in state politics, as demonstrated by the election, convention, and administrative records from the past decade. As shown in the party papers, the organization continues to work for the election of its candidates for public office, organize and govern itself through conventions and committees, and engage in activities to build and consolidate support for the people and policies it represents. Scope and Content Note The DPSC Records consists of 85 linear feet of material, 1924 to 2008, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1966 to 2008. The party’s activities during the 1970s are particularly well documented. The collection is arranged into 13 series – General, Administration, Auxiliaries, Committees, Conventions, Elections, Issues, Patronage, Programs, Publications, Maps, Clippings, and Audiovisual. The Administration series, 1924 to 2007, is comprised of records that document the organizational and administrative activities of the DPSC and its personnel, as well as some of the activities of county parties and elected officials at the state and national levels. The most notable subseries within this series are Financial, Office, and Party Leadership. The Financial subseries, 1924 to 2007, consists of two subseries, Party Finances and Fundraising. Party Finances contains records of activities not directly related to fundraising or elections, and includes records of the accounting and banking practices and operational expenses of the DPSC. Fundraising consists of records of the party’s efforts to acquire revenue to sustain the DPSC as an entity; records documenting fundraising efforts for specific elections or candidates are located in the Elections series. The Office subseries, 1968 to 2004, includes records of activities of the party’s office staff, notably Executive Directors and Associate Executive Directors. The Party Leadership subseries, 1934 to 2004, includes files on Democrats elected to public office, elected party officials (e.g., state chairmen), and other political leaders. The Auxiliaries series, 1966 to 2003, consists of materials related to auxiliary organizations of the Democratic Party. Groups represented include the Democratic Women’s Council, Teen Democrats, and Young Democrats. Auxiliary conventions and activities of the 1970s are particularly well documented. The Committees series, 1960s to 2008, contains records that document the activities of the Democratic National Committee, State Executive Committee, Executive Council, Finance 4 Don Fowler, letter to S. E. Lowry, dated 12/28/1972, Administrative Series, Democratic Party of South Carolina Records, South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. 3 Committee, other committees created by the DPSC, and county party executive committees. Committees on the party platform and rules are housed with the Conventions series. The Conventions series, 1960 to 2008, consists of records related to conventions in which the DPSC or its members were involved. The major types of convention represented in this series are the county convention (including the preceding precinct organizational meetings, records for which are filed under the appropriate county), state convention, and the Democratic National Convention. Delegate and alternate selection, convention planning, and platform and rules development are among the activities documented in this series. Records related to other conferences and mid-term conventions – most notably the 1974 mid- term conference in Kansas City – are also located in this series. Included in the documentation of this convention are a substantial number of materials related to the 1974 Democratic Charter and the Charter Commission, of which then-State Party Chairman Don Fowler was a member. The Elections series, 1944 to 2008, consists of records documenting the work of the party in Democratic campaigns for public office at the local, state, and national levels. Primary, general, and special elections are all represented in this series, which is arranged by year. Records in this series include filing forms, correspondence, informational materials about candidates, documents on campaign strategy and activities, campaign fundraising materials, voter registration materials, and election protest transcripts. 6 boxes of material in this series are restricted. Inquire with SCPC staff for more information. The Issues series, 1969 to 1994, documents the party’s role and interest in a variety of social, political, economic and legal issues. The Patronage series, 1969 to 1998, bulk 1969 to 1975, includes records of the party’s use of its influence to assist supporters. These records are arranged into topical