South Carolina from A to Z

“W” is for Whittaker, Miller Fulton (1892-1949). Architect, college president.

“T” is for Tukey, Richard Ellery (1918-1979). Civic leader. Richard Tukey helped transform the Upcountry's economy by international recruitment, by expansion away from textiles, and by taking a decidedly global outlook on economic development.

“S” is for Savannah River. The headwaters of the Savannah River originate in the mountains near the border where the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina meet.

“P” is for Petroglyphs. In the 1990s a survey by the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at UofSC listed some forty-seven petroglyph sites, thirty-three portable carvings, and three pictographs.

“M” is for McCormick County (360 squarer miles; 2020 population 9,430).

“L” is for Lieber, Francis (1798-1872). Educator, political scientist.

“J” is for Just, Ernest Everett (1883-1941). Marine biologist. Ernest Everett received international recognition of his work and publications—especially in Europe — but could not find work as a scientist in the U.S.

“H” is for Hayne, Robert Young (1791-1839). Governor, U.S. senator.

“G” is for Goldstein, Joseph Leonard (b. 1940). Scientist, physician, Nobel Laureate.

“F” is for Fraser, Charles (1782-1860). Miniature portraitist, painter. Charles Fraser achieved national and international recognition as a miniature portraitist during his lifetime.

“E” is for England, John (1786-1842). Catholic bishop, educator.

“D” is for Dillon (Dillon County; 2020 population 6,352)

“S” is for Sassafras Mountain (Pickens County).

“R” is for Riley, Joseph P., Jr., Legislator, mayor of Charleston. In 1975 he was elected to the first of ten terms as mayor of Charleston.

“P” is for Petigru, James Luis (1789-1863). Lawyer, politician. Petigru remained a staunch Unionist until his death.

“M” is for McCord, Louisa Susanna Cheves (1810-1879). Essayist, poet. McCord’s essays were well received and praised by her male contemporaries and were reflective of the dominant opinions of South Carolina’s elite in the decades prior to the Civil War.

“L” is for Liberian exodus. The return of the Democratic Party to power in South Carolina in 1876, and the violence that accompanied it, raised anxiety among African Americans in the state and interest in the possibility of emigration.

“J” is for Judson, Mary Camilla (1828-1920). Educator. Judson taught nearly every subject in the college curriculum and started the first club for women in Greenville where girls wrote papers and debated topics.

“H” is for Hayne Paul Hamilton (1830-1886). Poet, educator, essayist. Hayne was one of the few in the post-Reconstruction South, respected in academia as a refined poet and cultured man of letters.

“G” is for Godbold, Lucile Ellerbe (1900-1981). Olympic athlete, educator. At the Olympics, in Paris, Godbold competed in six events helping the US team to a second place finish.

“F” is for Fox, William Price (1926-2015). Author. William Price Fox’s novels Moonshine Light, Moonshine Bright; Ruby Red; Dixiana Moon; and Wild Blue Yonder give full range to his talents for depiction of southern humor.

“E” is for Emancipation Day. The tradition of marking the end of slavery with Emancipation Day celebrations began in South Carolina on January 1, 1863.

“B” is for Benbridge, Henry (1743-1812). Artist. When Charleston fell to the British, Benbridge was imprisoned in St. Augustine for his revolutionary fervor.

“A” is for Ashmore, Harry Scott (1916-1998). Author, editor, Pulitzer Prize winner.

"W” is for White-tailed deer. State animal. State animal.