Strom Thurmond: U.S. Senator for Nearly Half a Century Dies at 100

Strom Thurmond was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate from 1954 to 2003. Born on December 5, 1902, in Edgefield, South Carolina, he served as governor of the state from 1947 to 1951.

Thurmond ran for president in 1948 as a Dixiecrat opposing civil rights and finished third. In 1957 he gave the longest one-man filibuster in Senate history, 24 hours and 18 minutes, against the Civil Rights Act. He switched to the Republican Party in 1964 and chaired the Judiciary and Armed Services committees.

He retired from the Army Reserve as a major general. He married Jean Crouch and then Nancy Moore and had several children. After his death it was confirmed that Essie Mae Washington-Williams was his daughter. He died in Edgefield on June 26, 2003, at age 100, the only member of Congress to reach 100 while in office.

Achievements: U.S. Senator (1954-2003), Governor of South Carolina (1947-1951), presidential candidate (1948).

Birth: December 5, 1902 - Edgefield, South Carolina.

Profession: Politician.

Interesting Facts: He was the oldest serving U.S. senator in history.