Strom Thurmond, Senior Senator, Dead at 100
S. Carolina Republican Was Oldest Man to Serve in Congress
View enlargementStrom Thurmond addresses Caucus of Dixie delegates prior to the 1948 Democratic convention, urging them to vote for a southerner for president.
A commemorative button marking Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday.
Morning Edition, June 27, 2003 · Retired Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina -- who spent nearly half his life in the U.S. Senate -- is dead at 100, mere months after leaving office. Thurmond was the longest-serving U.S. senator and the oldest man ever to serve in Congress.
Thurmond began his political career as a Democrat, splitting with President Harry Truman in 1948 to mount a "Dixiecrat" presidential run. He vowed to uphold racial segregation and carried four southern states. He denied his political stances were racist, insisting he sought to uphold constitutional guarantees of states' rights.
Later Thurmond switched to the Republican party, helping drive a wedge into the Democrats' hold on the "solid South." As a senator, he consistently supported the development of American military power, and served on the Senate Judiciary Committee for more than 30 years.
Related NPR Stories
- Dec. 1, 2002A look at the life of Strom Thurmond with biographer Nadine Cohodas
- Jan. 6, 2003Bob Edwards and Rice University professor Earl Black talk about the careers of Thurmond and Jesse Helms as a new Senate convenes without them.
- Dec. 5, 2002Coverage of Thurmond's 100th birthday
- Dec. 5, 2002Morning Edition: Thurmond turns 100
- June 27, 2003: Listen to an 'All Things Considered' discussion on Strom Thurmond's legacy to the politics of the South.
- June 25, 2003: Former Georgia Gov. Maddox Dies at 87
- June 11, 2003: The 40th Anniversary of Alabama Gov. George Wallace's Attempt to Stop Desegregation at the University of Alabama
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