Editing Strom Thurmond (section)

==Legacy==
{{conservatism US|politicians}}
[[File:ThurmondBust.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of Thurmond by [[Frederick Hart (sculptor)|Frederick E. Hart]], held by the U.S. Senate]]
Diane Norman of the ''[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]'' called Thurmond "a political icon depicted in life-size statues in Columbia and Edgefield and whose name graces seven public buildings, a shopping mall, a high school, a National Guard armory, a lake, a dam and an interstate highway."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/2001/08/31/hollings39-comments-senator-intended-thurmond-39mentally-criticizes-hollings39-remarks-thurmond/29636336007/|title=Hollings' comments draw fire AIDE: Junior senator intended no harm in saying Thurmond isn't 'mentally keen' GOP criticizes Hollings' remarks on Thurmond|date=August 31, 2001|publisher=GoUpstate}}</ref> Former ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' senior writer Timothy Noah wrote that Thurmond's most significant political contribution was his backing of segregation and myths had been construed on the part of his contemporaries to explain his continued wielding of national influence.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/chatterbox/2002/12/the_legend_of_stroms_remorse.html|title=The Legend of Strom's Remorse|first=Timothy|last=Noah|date=December 16, 2002|magazine=Slate}}</ref> South Carolina Representative [[Joe Wilson (American politician)|Joe Wilson]] referred to Thurmond as South Carolina's greatest statesman in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://joewilson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-on-death-of-strom-thurmond |title=Statement on Death of Strom Thurmond |date=June 26, 2003 |publisher=U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson |access-date=September 10, 2022 }}</ref>

''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' writes that Thurmond's party switch "marked the beginning of the GOP's appeal to white, Southern conservatives, and helped turn a former blue state red."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894529_1894528_1894521,00.html|title=The Crist Switch: Top 10 Political Defections|magazine=Time|date=April 29, 2009 }}</ref> It has been argued that Thurmond's backing of Nixon in the 1968 election served as the basis for the [[Southern strategy]], with former Thurmond aide [[Lee Atwater]] admitting that the race served as the "blueprint for everything" he did in subsequent elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/southern-racist-who-pragmatically-embraced-policy-of-inclusion-1.364342|title=Southern racist who pragmatically embraced policy of inclusion|date=June 28, 2003|publisher=Irish Times}}</ref> Thurmond adviser Harry Dent said

<blockquote>He played the key and strategic role in pioneering and paving the way for that change. Presidential politics have been changed by Strom Thurmond and what he did more than by anybody in this country in these recent years.<ref name=WashingtonPost1988 /></blockquote>

In 1997, future [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Majority Leader]] [[Mitch McConnell]] called Thurmond "somebody I have heard about, observed and admired all of my life."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-1997-06-03/html/CREC-1997-06-03-pt1-PgS5198-2.htm|title=Tribute to Senator Strom Thurmond|date=June 3, 1997|publisher=Government Publishing Office}}</ref>

=== Cultural and political image ===
Thurmond's 1948 presidential campaign positions were racist,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tulsaworld.com/archive/what-were-thurmonds-views-in-1948/article_acffc72b-cfc5-5777-bcbb-29ff36c91b98.html|title=What were Thurmond's views in 1948?|first=Ken|last=Neal|date=December 22, 2002 |quote=He finally publicly recanted his racist positions of 1948.}}</ref> and he has been called "one of the most notorious segregationists in history".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/henrygomez/joe-biden-strom-thurmond-eulogy|title=Joe Biden Once Spoke At Strom Thurmond's Memorial Service. How Do People Feel About That Now?|date=February 17, 2019|publisher=Buzzfeed News}}</ref> In 1968, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Thurmond as "a South Carolina maverick with a highly developed taste for lost causes".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/10/13/archives/thurmond-promotes-nixons-cause-deep-in-wallace-country.html|title=Thurmond Promotes Nixon's Cause Deep in Wallace Country|date=October 13, 1968|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''[[The Oklahoman]]'' wrote that he would anger Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson because he could not be controlled and the key to Thurmond's longevity was his prioritizing of his constituents' concerns being addressed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2005/07/17/lawmaker-political-paradoxbrstrom-thurmond-left-behind-complex-legacy-after-decades-service-senator/61934286007/|title=Lawmaker was political paradox Strom Thurmond left behind a complex legacy after decades of service as a U.S. senator.|first=Wayne|last=Haigler|publisher=Oklahoman|date=July 17, 2005}}</ref>

By the 1970s, Thurmond had helped establish scholarships for black students at four South Carolina colleges and his influence in federal bureaucracy gave him an advantage in "announcing federal grants and bird-dogging federal projects of particular interest to black voters."<ref name="Thurmond's Black Hope"/>
Thurmond received black support in his 1978 re-election and African Americans were noted to "praise their onetime nemesis as a driving force behind the influx of more federal dollars to the state's minority neighborhoods."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/17/naacp-extends-a-brotherly-arm-to-thurmond/56e79736-98a2-4dc1-8a2a-3e5e226fea41/|title=NAACP Extends a Brotherly Arm to Thurmond|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 17, 1979}}</ref> Jim Naughton of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' found Thurmond to have "transformed his own image from radical to pragmatist, from The Whitest Man in America to Uncle Strom, Our Friend in Washington."<ref name=WashingtonPost1988>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/11/02/uncle-strom-the-pragmatists-legacy/80bb7a1f-5412-4dff-a7c2-3e68a3fb51f5/|title='UNCLE STROM' THE PRAGMATIST'S LEGACY|date=November 2, 1988|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
Nevertheless, Thurmond's racially charged language during the earlier part of his career left him with a mixed reputation among African Americans, receiving only 20% of their vote in his last election in 1996.<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-28-na-thurmond28-story.html|title=Blacks Recall Thurmond as Enemy and Friend|date=June 28, 2003|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> [[NAACP]] Chairman [[Julian Bond]] said Thurmond's sole legacy was of "durability and opposition to civil rights" and called Thurmond "a relic of America's shameful past, who had long overstayed his welcome."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/strom-thurmond-relic-of-past-overstayed-his-welcome/|title=Strom Thurmond: Relic of past overstayed his welcome|date=December 13, 2002|publisher=People's World|first=Julian|last=Bond|authorlink=Julian Bond}}</ref> In 2003, political scientist Willie Leggett stated, "Thurmond is not going to be a hero for black people because he never became a proponent of black rights."<ref name="Los Angeles Times"/>

In 1980, Bill Peterson remarked that the 77-year-old Thurmond "still has that rare peculiar magic few politicians ever achieve" with young autograph seekers and admirers. Peterson stressed, however, that Thurmond's popularity was "being put to a severe test" in his efforts to help John Connally win the South Carolina primary.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/02/18/thurmonds-coattails-are-failing-connally/b1112606-31ab-484a-8ded-95bac1235b15/|title=Thurmond's Coattails Are Failing Connally|first=Bill|last=Peterson|date=February 18, 1980|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

By the time of his last campaign in 1996, Thurmond faced increased focus to his age and calls for his retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/mar/03/at-93-hes-still-going-strom-but-senators-age-has/|title=At 93, He's Still Going Strom But Senator's Age Has Become An Issue As He Campaigns For Another Term This Year|date=March 3, 1996|quote=State newspapers, historically unfailingly supportive of Thurmond, are starting to focus on his age.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/1996/01/03/thurmond-should-retire/29580519007/|title=Thurmond should retire|date=January 3, 1996|publisher=GoUpstate}}</ref><ref name="Grove"/> Thurmond opened his final campaign in a speech at the [[University of South Carolina-Aiken]], proclaiming that he would not give up on "our mission to right the 40-year wrongs of liberalism" and that South Carolinians knew he did not like "unfinished business."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/thurmond-93-opens-bid-for-8th-senate-term/article_0f4a686a-7ce5-5bcb-b8aa-0a7f863e5c60.html|date=April 9, 1996|title=Thurmond, 93, Opens Bid for 8th Senate Term|publisher=Buffalo News}}</ref> As the [[107th United States Congress]] began, the Democrats and Republicans were split evenly with Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] as the tie-breaking vote, and Thurmond's attendance was seen as crucial for maintaining a Republican majority given that his retirement or death would allow Democratic governor [[Jim Hodges]] to appoint a Democrat to his seat. Thurmond spokeswoman Genevieve Erny commented, "It's unfortunate that the media continue to portray him as in failing health, especially because the only reason the media is interested is a 50-50 split, and the repercussions that could have."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0423/p1s4.html|title=At 50-50, Senate is on a Strom watch|date=April 23, 2001|publisher=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> In a 2001 interview, colleague Fritz Hollings said that Thurmond was no longer "mentally keen" nor did he "have a home, and someone has said the best nursing home is the U.S. Senate."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/08/30/Hollings-Thurmond-not-mentally-keen/6681999144000/|title=Hollings: Thurmond not 'mentally keen'|date=August 30, 2001|publisher=UPI}}</ref>
Ira Shapiro of ''[[The Gazette (Colorado Springs)|The Gazette]]'' cited Thurmond by the end of his tenure as "a joke and an embarrassment; virtually unable to speak or hear, he had to be carried into committee meetings."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.com/guest-columnists/an-eighth-term-for-sen-chuck-grassley/|title=An eighth term for Sen. Chuck Grassley?|date=June 29, 2022|first=Ira|last=Shapiro|publisher=The Gazette}}</ref>

After his retirement, Thurmond's early career and those of slave owner [[John C. Calhoun]] and Benjamin Tillman were cited as political symbols of South Carolina's historical racism and denial of basic civil rights to minority groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/06/haley-taps-on-scs-glass-ceiling-038829|title=Haley taps on S.C.'s glass ceiling|website=[[Politico]] |date=June 22, 2010|quote=The South Carolina that produced John C. Calhoun, "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman and the Dixiecrat version of Strom Thurmond hasn't totally receded — the whispers and worries about Haley's Sikh heritage underscore that — and it certainly isn't getting any less conservative in the short term.}}</ref>
In 2011, [[Public Policy Polling]] found Thurmond to be the most popular politician in South Carolina, with higher favorability ratings than current lawmakers Lindsey Graham, [[Nikki Haley]], [[Jim DeMint]], and [[Mark Sanford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicpolicypolling.com/polls/thurmond-most-popular-statewide-figure-in-south-carolina/|title=Thurmond most popular statewide figure in South Carolina|date=September 2, 2011|publisher=Public Policy Polling}}</ref>

=== Honors ===
* The Strom Thurmond Foundation, Inc., provides financial aid support to South Carolina residents in financial need. The Foundation was established in 1974 by Thurmond with honoraria received from speeches and donations from friends and family.
* A [[reservoir (water)|reservoir]] on the [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]–[[South Carolina]] border is named after him: [[Lake Strom Thurmond]].
* The [[University of South Carolina]] is home to the Strom Thurmond Fitness Center, one of the largest fitness complexes on a college campus. The new complex has largely replaced the Blatt Fitness center, named for [[Solomon Blatt Sr.|Solomon Blatt]], a political rival of Thurmond.
[[File:StromThurmond GeorgeBush.jpg|thumb|Thurmond receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President [[George H. W. Bush]], 1993]]
* [[Charleston Southern University]] has a Strom Thurmond Building, which houses the school's business offices, bookstore, and post office.
* Thurmond Building at [[Winthrop University]] is named for him. He served on Winthrop's Board of Trustees from 1936 to 1938 and again from 1947 to 1951 when he was governor of South Carolina.
* A statue of Strom Thurmond is located on the southern grounds of the [[South Carolina State Capitol]] as a memorial to his service to the state.
* The [[Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse]] in Columbia, South Carolina, is named after him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/10/28/dont-laugh-its-your-money/1671b505-2aa6-4d32-8a85-5850d97ed94e/|title=Don't Laugh—It's Your Money'|date=October 28, 1979|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
* [[Strom Thurmond High School]] is located in his hometown of [[Edgefield, South Carolina]].
<!-- * [[Al Sharpton]] was reported on February 24, 2007, to be a descendant of slaves owned by the Thurmond family. Sharpton has not asked for a DNA test.<ref name=DS>[[n:Al Sharpton speaks out on race, rights and what bothers him about his critics|Interview with Al Sharpton]], David Shankbone, ''[[Wikinews]]'', December 3, 2007.</ref><ref name="nydn">{{cite news |title=Slavery links families|first=Austin|last=Fenner|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=February 25, 2007 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/500577p-422090c.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227111256/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/500577p-422090c.html|archive-date=February 27, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Fernanda |last=Santos |title=Sharpton Learns His Forebears Were Thurmonds' Slaves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/nyregion/26sharpton.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/T/Thurmond,%20Strom&pagewanted=all |newspaper = The New York Times |date=February 26, 2007 |access-date=November 26, 2007}}</ref>-->
* The U.S. Air Force has a [[C-17 Globemaster]] named the ''Spirit of Strom Thurmond''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Scott |title=Spirit of Strom Thurmond' honors senator's 100 years |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/140228/spirit-of-strom-thurmond-honors-senators-100-years/ |website=www.af.mil |date=December 12, 2002 |publisher=Air Force Print News |access-date=December 12, 2019}}</ref>
* The mobilization complex at [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina (commonly known as 'Green Ramp') is named in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 131 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2002-10-08/html/CREC-2002-10-08-pt1-PgS10108-3.htm|access-date=June 17, 2020|website=www.govinfo.gov}}</ref>
* In 1989, he was presented with the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]] by President [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/speeches/1989/011889c.htm|title=Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Citizens Medal|date=January 18, 1989|publisher=Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum|first=Ronald|last=Reagan|author-link=Ronald Reagan|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405024830/https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/speeches/1989/011889c.htm|archive-date=April 5, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Strom Thurmond Boulevard, located in [[Fort Jackson, South Carolina]], is named in his honor.
* In 1993, he was presented with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President George H. W. Bush.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Strom+Thurmond+and+the+Politics+of+Southern+Change.-a014113205 |title=Strom Thurmond and the Politics of Southern Change |last=Reed |first=John Shelton |date=June 1, 1993 |journal=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |access-date=October 31, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/01/12/Bush-presents-Thurmond-with-Medal-of-Freedom/2276726814800/ph|title=Bush presents Thurmond with Medal of Freedom|date=January 12, 1993|publisher=UPI}}</ref>
* The Strom Thurmond Institute is located on the campus of [[Clemson University]].
{{clear}}