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Paul Thurmond

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Paul Thurmond
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 (age 48)
Aiken, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKatie Thurmond
Children5
Parent(s)Strom Thurmond
Nancy Moore Thurmond
RelativesJames Strom Thurmond Jr. (brother)
Essie Mae Washington-Williams (half-sister)
Alma materVanderbilt University (BA)
University of South Carolina (JD)
Occupation
  • Attorney
  • Politician

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 (and one of three surviving children) of Strom Thurmond, who served in the United States Senate for 48 years.

Early life

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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] Paul's father was 73 years old at the time of his 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

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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]

In the aftermath of the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, in which nine people —including Thurmond's colleague Clementa Pinckney — were killed, Thurmond called for the Confederate flag to be permanently removed from the grounds of the State House in July 2015.[15]

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.[16]

Personal life

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Thurmond has a wife, Katie, three sons and two daughters.[7] One of four siblings, he was also the half-brother (through his father) of the late Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who was 50 years his senior.

Electoral history

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South Carolina's 1st congressional district Republican primary, 2010[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tim Scott 25,457 31.49%
Republican Paul Thurmond 13,149 16.26%
Republican Carroll Campbell III 11,665 14.43%
Republican Larry Kobrovsky 8,521 10.54%
Republican Stovall Witte 7,192 8.90%
Republican Clark B. Parker 6,769 8.37%
Republican Katherine Jenerette 3,849 4.76%
Republican Mark Lutz 3,237 4.00%
Republican Ken Glasson 1,006 1.24%
Total votes 80,845 100.00%
South Carolina's 1st congressional district Republican primary runoff, 2010[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tim Scott 46,885 68.36%
Republican Paul Thurmond 21,706 31.64%
Total votes 68,591 100.00%
South Carolina's 41st State Senate district special Republican primary, 2012[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Thurmond 1,549 42.7%
Republican Walter Hundley 1,352 37.3%
Republican Wally Burbage 725 20.0%
Total votes 3,626 100.00%
South Carolina's 41st State Senate district special Republican primary runoff, 2012[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Thurmond 1,783 71.0%
Republican Walter Hundley 727 29.0%
Total votes 2,510 100.00%
South Carolina's 41st State Senate district general election, 2012[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Thurmond 27,845 55.73%
Democratic Paul Tinkler 22,039 44.11%
Write-in 84 0.16%
Total votes 49,968 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ a b "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. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012. (subscription required)
  6. ^ a b "Thurmond leaving solicitor's office to open law firm with 2 friends". The Post and Courier. August 1, 2005. p. 3E.
  7. ^ a b "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. Retrieved 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. October 2, 2012. 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. ^ "Sen. Thurmond calls for banner's removal". June 22, 2015.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Statewide Results: 2010 Republican and Democratic Primary". Enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  18. ^ "Primary Results:South Carolina Runoff". The New York Times. June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  19. ^ "State Senate District 41 Special Republican Primary". South Carolina Election Commission. September 18, 2012.
  20. ^ "State Senate District 41 Special Republican Primary Runoff". South Carolina Election Commission. October 2, 2012.
  21. ^ "Statewide Results: 2012 General Election". Enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
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