Happy Birthday Governor David Muldrow Beasley! (born February 26, 1957)

David Beasley

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David Beasley
113rd Governor of South Carolina
In office 1995 – 1999
Preceded by	Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.
Succeeded by	Jim Hodges
Born	February 26 1957 ( 1957-02-26) (age 50) Darlington, South Carolina
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Wood Payne
Residence	Society Hill, South Carolina
Alma mater	University of South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Law
Profession	Politician
Religion	Christian

David Muldrow Beasley (born February 26, 1957) is a Republican who served one term as the Governor of South Carolina from 1995 until 1999.

David Beasley, a native of Darlington, South Carolina, began his political career as a member of the Democratic Party, but switched to the Republican Party long before his time as governor. His first run for public office came in 1978, when, as a 21-year-old junior attending Clemson University, he unexpectedly won a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He later graduated from the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

He served as a member of the House from 1979 until 1995, rising through the party ranks to become Majority Whip and, later, Majority Leader. During the 1994 election for governor, both he and his Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor Nick Theodore, both had tough primary fights within their own respective parties. Beasley, however, went on to narrowly win the general election by a vote of 50%-48%.

During his term as governor, Beasley was known for injecting his Christian faith into the public discourse.

In 1998, Governor Beasley was soundly defeated in his bid for re-election by Democrat Jim Hodges. There are several reasons cited for Beasley’s surprising loss in such a staunchly Republican state.

First, owners of video poker machines, which were legal in South Carolina at the time, poured millions of dollars into advertisements attacking Beasley for trying to ban video poker. Then there was Beasley’s own refusal to follow up on the public promises he made to several “Southern Heritage” groups, pledging to defend the Confederate flag which flew on top of the State House (he later ordered the Confederate flag to be removed from the top of the South Carolina capitol to a place nearby on the capitol grounds). Many conservative Republicans remembered this supposed “flip-flop” on Election Day, and simply stayed home. Beasley’s opposition to all-day kindergarten deprived him of any Democratic support.

Following his term as governor, Beasley was asked to serve as a fellow at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2003, Beasley was given the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award by U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) for his unpopular decision to remove the Confederate flag from atop the South Carolina capitol.

In 2004, the governor unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate. He lost the Republican nomination to Congressman Jim DeMint of Greenville, South Carolina.

In April 2005, Governor Beasley, along his administration’s former Chief Legal Counsel, Henry Deneen, incorporated the Center for Global Strategies, Ltd (CGS). CGS focuses on developmental initiatives in the non-integrated world. Currently, Governor Beasley serves as the Chairman of the Board.

In 2007, Beasley endorsed Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries.

Beasley is married to the former Mary Wood Payne and is the father of four children: Mary Hunter, Sarah Catherine, David Jr., and Samuel Ross. Governor Beasley currently resides in Society Hill, SC, located in Darlington County.

[edit] External links

• SCIway Biography of David Muldrow Beasley
• NGA Biography of David Muldrow Beasley