Mr. Speaker, the hometown, Charleston Lowcountry daily newspaper of the Post and Courier recognized Doctor Edwards with a thoughtful editorial and heartfelt columns were provided by former staffers Robert G. Liming and Ron Brinson. [From…
Mr. Speaker, the hometown, Charleston Lowcountry daily newspaper of the Post and Courier recognized Doctor Edwards with a thoughtful editorial and heartfelt columns were provided by former staffers Robert G. Liming and Ron Brinson.
[From The Post and Courier, Dec. 27, 2014]
James B. Edwards
James B. Edwards exhibited, among many other positive
attributes, a keen sense of the politically possible. So when
the oral surgeon from Mount Pleasant launched his 1974
gubernatorial bid, he knew it was a very long shot.
Yet he also knew something few politicians or pundits of
that time realized: A powerful public demand for limited
government and fiscal responsibility--and for a more
conservative Republican party to lead that charge--was on the
rise.
It was made to order for Dr. Edwards' political philosophy.
And his engaging personal style helped him advance those
goals on behalf of the public he served so well for so long
as, among other jobs, governor of South Carolina and
president of the Medical University of South Carolina.
His death Friday at age 87 warrants a fresh recognition of
his remarkable, admirable legacy--in and out of elective
office.
How stacked did the deck look against Dr. Edwards' 1974 run
for governor?
It had been less than two years since he had won his first
elective office as a state senator. It had been three years
since he had lost his run for the 1st District congressional
seat, though he did win the GOP nonmination in that race.
And it had been 100 years since South Carolinians had
elected a Republican governor. Dr. Edwards' GOP primary
opponent, retired Gen. William Westmoreland, had a huge name-
recognition edge. And even after Dr. Edwards won that
primary, he again was the underdog in the general election.
But Democratic primary winner Charles ``Pug'' Ravenel was
removed as his party's nominee on a residency challenge,
elevating runner-up William Jennings Bryan Dorn to the
ballot. Dr. Edwards made 20th century history by defeating
the 13-term congressman from the 3rd District.
During his 1975-79 gubernatoral tenure, Dr. Edwards further
established himself as a major player in the GOP's shift to
the right. After initially supporting former Texas Gov. John
Connally, Gov. Edwards became a prominent supporter of Ronald
Reagan's 1976 bid for the party's presidential nomination
against incumbent Gerald Ford. Though that effort fell short,
it set the stage for Mr. Reagan's successful 1980 run.
Despite his solid conservative credentials, Gov. Edwards
established himself as a master of crossing party lines. As
governor, he worked with the Democratic-controlled Senate and
House to expand South Carolina's industrial base with
assorted incentives, uplift poor school districts with the
Education Finance Act and protect the state's long-term
financial stability with a ``rainy day'' fund.
Gov. Edwards also advanced the reorganization of state
government. One of his allies in Columbia, Carroll Campbell,
later became an effective champion of that cause during his
two terms as governor (1987-95).
S.C. governors were limited to a single term when Dr.
Edwards served in that position. So after Mr. Reagan won the
presidency in 1980, Dr. Edwards became U.S. energy secretary.
He and President Reagan advocated eliminating the
department. As then-Secretary Edwards warned: ``There is only
one thing that produces energy, and that's the private
sector, which government has hamstrung.''
Secretary Edwards and his boss pushed to fold the agency
into the Department of Commerce. Though Congress wouldn't go
along with that, Energy Secretary Edwards did manage to
deeply cut the agency's budget and reduce its staff by 2,000.
He stepped up to another challenge in 1996, joining fellow
former Govs. Campbell, John West, Robert McNair and Dick
Riley in bi-partisan backing of Gov. David Beasley's
courageous call to remove the Confederate battle flag from
the Statehouse dome.
And under his 1982-99 leadership as MUSC president, the
size of the campus more than tripled from 1.5 million square
feet to 5 million square feet. Along the expanding way,
MUSC's reputation for providing both high-quality medical
education and health care grew, too. In that ongoing process,
the school has attracted top medical, research and teaching
talent.
MUSC paid fitting tribute to its former leader in 2010 when
it dedicated the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine.
At the time of the dental college dedication, Dr. Jack
Sanders, dean of that school, offered this accurate
assessment of Dr. Edwards' lasting contributions:
``His entire life stands as a testament to the values of
integrity and service, which we hope to instill in each of
our students.''
James B. Edwards' legacy in South Carolina, at MUSC and
beyond will long live on.
[From The Post and Courier, Dec. 27, 2014]
Jim Edwards Had Transformative Role in S.C. Shift to GOP
(By Robert G. Liming)
He wasn't a four-star general, legendary Old South
congressman or media-savvy Wall Street investment broker, yet
he forever transformed Palmetto State politics.
James Burrows Edwards was the exception to every rule in
predictable partisan politics. The affable oral surgeon was
given no chance of being elected as he paid his filing fee at
GOP Headquarters on Columbia's Harden Street in spring of
1974.
He defied backroom dealmakers in the then fledgling
Republican Party by thrashing their hand-picked contender,
West Pointer Gen. William C. Westmoreland, in the Republican
primary.
Democratic Party bosses were so fearful of a Westmoreland
candidacy they failed to notice the meteoric rise of Wall
Street whiz Charles D. ``Pug'' Ravenel who used slick
television ads and media manipulation to stunningly defeat
their anointed, veteran Greenwood congressman, William
Jennings Bryan Dorn, in a bitterly contested primary.
Dorn surprisingly became the eventual Democratic nominee
after a tumultuous legal battle resulting in a Supreme Court
ruling disqualifying Ravenel because he failed to meet the
state's legal residency requirement. The court's decision
paved the
way for Edwards' implausible November election win. His cash-
starved campaign's upset signaled the end of the Democratic
death-grip dominance over the state's 46 county courthouses.
Jim Edwards took the oath on a frigid January morning in
1975 and rocked the very political foundation of the
Statehouse. Defying political pundits and power brokers, he
became the first Republican chief executive since the Union
troops fled Columbia, leaving then-Gov. Daniel Chamberlain
holding his empty carpetbag.
Most current ``life-long'' Republican officeholders never
met Jim, and those who did can hardly grasp the fact they owe
their very opportunity to serve to his courage, character and
dedication to public service. There were less than two dozen
Republicans in the legislature in 1974, and Nikki Haley was
only three years old the evening Jim gave his first state of
the State address.
I was a brash and flippant political reporter when I
accepted the role as his official spokesman, a hard choice
for him since he really didn't know me well. But like so many
decisions he made, Jim took his time, weighed all the facts,
sought the advice of others and made the final decision on
his own. We grew closer and soon our inner office humor
abounded, I recall how I coined his nickname as ``veto king''
and he labeled me as ``Dr. No'' because of the effort I put
into composing the veto messages he signed on numerous pieces
of legislation. As a Republican it was his strongest weapon
against a Democratic-dominated General Assembly when
compromise became impossible.
In today's atmosphere of instant assessment, weblogs of
every ilk, and babbling talking heads few if any will recall
his countless accomplishments. Jim's strongest skill was his
personal ability to sit down one on one and resolve issues, a
talent so sadly missing today in Columbia and Washington. Jim
was the leader in establishing the state's ``rainy day''
reserve fund to cover budget shortfalls and unforeseen
emergencies; he championed the Education Finance Act to
ensure equal funding options for all public schools; led the
fight for the state's first tidelands protection laws; and
pioneered the reform of the state's festeringly inefficient
and ineffective cash-devouring welfare system.
He had no political hit list and he held no grudges. Jim
was guided by the wisdom and character he learned from his
school teacher parents; the patriotism he shared as a
Merchant Marine and later Navy officer; the caring he learned
as a surgeon; and his abiding faith and trust in God.
His first love was for his forever first lady, Ann, their
precious daughter and son, Catherine and James Jr., and the
beloved grandchildren. Yet there was always a special place
in his heart for the people of South Carolina, including the
Allendale dyed-in-the-wool Democrat farmer who Jim always
trusted because he voted for the other guy!
As I recall Jim, this verse will always come to mind: Mark
1:11. We will miss you and your wonderful smile; you were an
extraordinary governor, wonderful boss and a dear friend.
[From The Post and Courier]
Fundamental Goodness Was the Essence of Jim Edwards
(By Ron Brinson)
Jim Edwards has died, and there is a void in the heart and
soul and political spirit of his beloved South Carolina.
This good man was an American patriot, a principled leader.
His gracious humility framed his soaring intellect.
His life was anchored by those simple old-fashioned
American values of education and enterprise, of caring for
your family and your neighbors and your country--and always
translating that ``care'' with meaningful commitments and
achievement.
He was my friend. He was everyone's friend.
History's bare facts will describe Dr. Edwards as one of
those upstart Goldwater Republicans who back in the '60s
forged a special brand of post-war American conservatism. He
stood side by side with the likes of Ronald Reagan as the
Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln was reborn, or in today's
parlance, ``rebooted.''
But in the mid-'60s, Jim Edwards was a young oral surgeon,
married to Ann Darlington, the love of his life, and they had
a very young family. Personal and professional sacrifice
defined his entry into what he once called ``patriot
politics.'' He was determined, he said, to square America's
political compass with ``the values and principles that make
America America.''
In 1974, he was a Charleston-area state senator encouraged
to run in the Republican primary for governor--against
William Westmoreland, the retired four-star commanding
general of U.S. forces in Vietnam. At the time it seemed to
many--and perhaps to Dr. Edwards himself--that he was merely
the sacrificial political lamb for Gen. Westmoreland's
homecoming reach for the governor's office.
Four decades later, we might reckon it was a package of
mysterious and fortuitous political providence at work,
confecting a dramatic turning point for South Carolina's
politics and for Jim Edwards' leadership career. Dr. Edwards
was a natural born campaigner, so genuine and sincere. Truth
is, Gen. Westmoreland really never had much of a chance to
win that primary.
But then Jim Edwards didn't have much chance, either, to
prevail in his general election campaign against Democrat
Charles ``Pug'' Ravenel, the Charleston-born Wall Street
whiz-kid investment banker. Ah, but providence often is a
persistent force in the chancy processes of politics. Mr.
Ravenel ran afoul of a five-year residential requirement. He
might still have had Lowcountry pluff-mud in his toes, but
the S.C. Supreme Court nullified his candidacy. Jim Edwards
had performed well on the primary campaign trail, and some
big-name folks with big bank accounts were lining up to
respond to his call for a march back toward ``conservatism.''
U.S. Rep. William Jennings Bryan Dorn, D-Greenwood, with
his late start and his party well off balance, had only a
puncher's chance as Ravenel's replacement. On Nov. 5, 1974,
James Burrows Edwards became the first Republican governor of
South Carolina since Reconstruction. In his affable and witty
manner, he declared. ``A lot of Democrats will say I'm the
first mistake South Carolina has made in a hundred years.''
Dr. Edwards, in his inaugural speech, emphasized an often-
neglected value of elected governance--results over
partisanship. ``I begin not with any partisan goals or debts
to any special interests, but rather as the recipient of a
public trust from 2.8 million great people; people who are
hungry for leadership that is not concerned with politics,
but dedicated to building responsive and effective
government. Let us all reach across political barriers and
work together to improve our state . . .''
The politics of election and then governance are different,
and for Gov. Edwards, ``non-partisanship'' equaled political
smartness. With only a handful of Republicans in the
Legislature, he worked proactively to calibrate agendas with
Speaker of the House Sol Blatt, and Senate leaders Marion
Gressette and Rembert Dennis.
``The agenda is important,'' he once told Sens. Gressette
and Dennis. ``But we have to work, too, on how best to work
together.''
A few years ago, he lamented with that warming smile,
``Sometimes, it feels like the biggest problem with
Republicans is that we've forgotten how to get along with
each other.''
Everyone, it seemed, got along with Jim Edwards. His
gubernatorial record showed steady improvements fiscally and
in public education, a nice package of organizational and
management reforms and a new emphasis on marketing South
Carolina for industrial and commercial growth. Against the
very strong opposition of his Mount Pleasant neighbors, Gov.
Edwards approved the S.C. State Ports Authority,s Wando
container terminal project.
And folks always appreciated Jim Edwards' ``style'' of
friendship and loyalty.
As President Reagan's energy secretary, he fronted Reagan's
agenda to terminate the Department of Energy. Editorialists
were merciless. ``It was a joyless ride of misinformed
`establishment' ridicule,'' Dr. Edwards once said, laughing.
``But President Reagan felt very strongly about this and my
job was to try to get it done.''
The U.S. Department of Energy still stands, of course, but
respect and admiration for Jim Edwards were ascending even as
he left Washington in 1982 to assume the presidency of the
Medical University of South Carolina. His tenure there was
exceptional, especially in growing the school's foundation
endowments, something very related to his standing in
industry and politics.
Every elected leader should consider Jim Edwards' point
about working first to get along with each other. Every
American might consider the grid of patriotic and good
governance principles that guided his personal, professional
and political lives. But for those who knew this good man for
a moment--or for 50 years--we will rejoice that we crossed
paths with him.
A year ago, after Dr. Edwards had suffered a stroke, I
asked him about his ``legacy.'' He answered softly, ``That
can be so subjective; it's in the eyes of the beholder.''
I told him I wanted an answer, that I might be writing
commentary one day about his ``legacy.''
He paused for a moment and then added, ``I hope someone
will say I loved my family and my country, and that they
noticed I always tried to do my best.''
Let us not be confused by such natural humility; Jim
Edwards truly was a great man.