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As a businessman, a member of the state House of Representatives, state Senate, Congress, and as the 112th governor of South Carolina, Carroll Campbell epitomizes public service.
Born in Greenville, he was educated in the Greenville public schools and graduated from McCallie School. Campbell was unable to attend college for financial reasons. Instead, he went to work and took courses when he could. He never gave up on his education, going to school at night while he was in Congress at American University, where he earned an MA degree in political science.
He made his mark in business early. At 19, he worked in the real estate business; then became a partner in a successful chain of parking facilities; and in 1967, he was a principal in forming Rex Enterprises, which developed a chain of 13 Burger ICmg restaurants before being sold in 1978, the year he became a member of Congress.
Campbell began his political career by helping a friend run for office in 1960, the first of many political campaigns--from the local level to presidential politics--he would guide. He plunged into deeper political waters in 1969 as a candidate himself but was defeated in a special election. In 1970, he bounced back, and won election to the state House of Representatives, where he served two terms.
After losing a close race for lieutenant governor in 1974, Campbell worked as executive assistant to Gov. James Edward until he won a seat in the state Senate in 1976. Elected to Congress in 1978 from the Fourth Congressional District, Campbell served eight years before being elected governor.
Since taking office as governor in 1987, Campbell has been a leader in state, regional, and national education reform initiatives, and he was co-author of the National Education Goals that arose from the historic education summit between the nation's governors and President Bush.
But where he has especially shined is promoting the partnership of government and business to improve the economic climate of our state.
Thanks to Campbell's leadership and his person-to-person South Carolina, he has helped produce style as a salesman for an unprecedented $16 billion in capital investments, more than 3,500 new facilities, and thousands of new jobs for the state. He would be the first to...