Thurmond

[thur-muhnd]

Thurmond, Strom(James Strom Thurmond), 1902-2003, U.S. senator from South Carolina (1954-2003), b. Edgefield, S.C. He read law while teaching (1923-29) in South Carolina schools and was admitted to the bar in 1930. Thurmond was elected (1933) a state senator and became (1938) a circuit-court judge. After serving in World War II, he was elected (1946) governor of South Carolina. In 1948, Thurmond was nominated for president by the States' Rights Democrats ("Dixiecrats"), southerners who bolted the Democratic party in opposition to President Truman's civil-rights program; he won 39 electoral votes. In 1954 he was a successful write-in candidate for U.S. Senate. In 1957 he staged the longest filibuster in Senate history, speaking for over 24 hours against a civil-rights bill. Thurmond switched from the Democratic to the Republican party in 1964, and later chaired the Senate judiciary (1981-87) and armed services (1995-99) committees. In 1996 he became the oldest sitting, in 1997 the longest serving, U.S. senator in history. The posthumous revelation in 2003 that he had an illegitimate child in 1925 with an African-American maid and that he and his daughter had had a long-standing, warm relationship proved a thought-provoking footnote to his political career.

See J. Bass and M. Thompson, Ol' Strom (1999).

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Licensed from Columbia University Press

Thurmond, (James) Strom

(born Dec. 5, 1902, Edgefield, S.C., U.S.—died June 26, 2003, Edgefield) U.S. senator (1954–2003). He served as a South Carolina state senator (1933–38) and circuit court judge (1938–41). As governor (1947–51), he expanded the state educational system. At the 1948 Democratic convention, Thurmond led the bolt of Southern delegates who objected to the civil rights plank in the party platform; called Dixiecrats, they nominated Thurmond as their presidential candidate, and he won 39 electoral votes. In 1954 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and in 1964 he switched party affiliation to the Republican Party. In 1996 he became the oldest person to serve in Congress. An archconservative, he advocated states' rights, opposed civil rights legislation, and supported increases in military spending.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Thurmond, West Virginia

Thurmond is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States, on the New River. The population was 7 at the 2000 census. During the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge, Thurmond was a prosperous town with a number of businesses and facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The town was the filming location for John Sayles' 1987 movie Matewan since it still possesses many of the characteristics of a 1920s Appalachian coal mining town.

Today, much of Thurmond is owned by the National Park Service for the New River Gorge National River. The C&O passenger railway depot in town was renovated in 1995 and now functions as an NPS visitor center.

During the June 14 2005 city elections, six of the city's seven residents sought elected office.

Rail Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Thurmond under the Cardinal route.

Geography

Thurmond is located at (37.961038, -81.081759).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7 people, 5 households, and 1 family residing in the town. The population density was 27.0/km² (70.5/mi²). There were 7 housing units at an average density of 27.0/km² (70.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.

There were 5 households out of which none had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.0% were married couples living together, and 80.0% were non-families. 60.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 40.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.40 and the average family size was 2.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 14.3% from 18 to 24, 14.3% from 25 to 44, 42.9% from 45 to 64, and 28.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 40.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 40.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $0. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,782. There were no families living below the poverty line and 54.5% of the population, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.