Harvey S. Peeler Jr. Explained

Harvey Peeler
Office:1st President of the South Carolina Senate
Term Start:January 8, 2019
Term End:December 6, 2021
Predecessor:Office established
Successor:Thomas C. Alexander
Office2:Member of the South Carolina Senate
Term Start2:January 14, 1981
Preceded2:John David Long III
Constituency2:5th district (1981–1985)
14th district (1985–present)
Birth Date:8 September 1948
Birth Place:Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S.
Party:Republican (1989–present)
Otherparty:Democratic (before 1989)
Spouse:Ila LaDonna Caudill
Education:Clemson University (BS)
Relations:Bob Peeler
Profession:Dairyman, businessman

Harvey Smith Peeler Jr. (born September 8, 1948) is an American politician.[1] [2] He is a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 14th District from since the 1980s, initially as a Democrat, and from October 1989, as a Republican. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2005 to 2016[1] and President of the Senate from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, he became Chair of the Finance Committee after the death of Hugh Leatherman.[3] [4]

S.C. Senate

Peeler has served as a state senator for South Carolina since 1981. He became Senate Majority Leader in 2005 after the resignation of Hugh Leatherman.[5] [6] He resigned as Majority Leader in 2016, passing the position to A. Shane Massey.[7] [8]

In Peeler's first year in the state senate, he formed a voting bloc with Hugh Leatherman.[9] In 1989, he was one of five Democratic South Carolina legislators to switch to the Republican Party from the Democratic.[10]

He has previously chaired the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, and served as vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 2007. Peeler currently serves on the Senate Ethics, Interstate Cooperation, Medical Affairs and Transportation Committees.[11]

Controversies

Confederate flag

In 2015, after the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, which killed fellow State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, Peeler voted against removing the Confederate flag. Peeler compared removing it to "removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one's obituary."[12] He was one of only three state senators to vote against its removal, the other two being Danny Verdin and Lee Bright.[13] Fifteen years earlier, Peeler was one of only seven senators who voted against the flag's removal from the top of the South Carolina Capitol Dome and both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature to its present position on the capitol grounds, arguing that the flag's removal would only worsen race relations.[14] The 2000 vote was a compromise between anti- and pro-flag forces in the wake of an economic boycott of the state.[15]

Personal life

Peeler was born on September 8, 1948, in Gaffney, South Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University in 1970. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army from 1970 to 1972. He is a dairyman.

Peeler married Ila LaDonna Caudill on August 8, 1969, and they have three children: Brantlee Rene, Harvey Smith III, and Boone Solomon. He is the brother of former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler. Peeler attends Gaffney First Baptist Church. He is a Mason and a Shriner. He is a member of the American Jersey Cattle Association and the American Legion.

Electoral history

YearOfficeTypePartyMain opponentPartyVotes for PeelerResultSwingRef.
Total%.
1980S.C. Senator GeneralDemocraticWrite-inN/A33,26899.97%1stN/AHold[16]
1984GeneralDemocraticJames Y. SparksRepublican14,55873.09%1st-26.88%Hold[17]
1988GeneralDemocraticWrite-inN/A14,68596.76%1st+23.67%Hold[18]
1992GeneralRepublicanLarry SossamonDemocratic13,29251.53%1st-45.23%Hold[19]
1996GeneralRepublicanHenry L. JollyDemocratic15,61261.92%1st+10.39%Hold[20]
2000GeneralRepublicanWrite-inN/A21,73999.76%1st+37.84%Hold[21]
2004GeneralRepublicanRick DizbonDemocratic22,95769.48%1st-30.28%Hold[22]
2008GeneralRepublicanWrite-inN/A29,17999.22%1st+29.74%Hold[23]
2012GeneralRepublicanWrite-inN/A31,62099.13%1st-0.09%Hold[24]
2016Rep. primaryRepublicanKenny Price Republican5,19682.87%1stN/AN/A[25]
GeneralRepublicanWrite-inN/A36,42799.09%1st-0.04%Hold[26]
2020GeneralRepublicanSarah WorkAlliance42,37783.86%1st-15.23%Hold[27] [28] [29]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1454545280 South Carolina Senate biography
  2. http://www.harveypeeler.com/about/ Official website
  3. Web site: Harvey Peeler replaces Hugh Leatherman as Senate Finance Committee chairman . 6 December 2021 .
  4. Web site: SC Senate names Thomas Alexander new president as Harvey Peeler steps down . 8 December 2021 .
  5. Web site: Peeler to Replace Leatherman as Majority Leader . 26 May 2005 .
  6. Web site: Peeler assumes Senate Republican leadership post .
  7. Web site: Harvey Peeler to step down as Senate majority leader .
  8. Web site: Massey Named New SC Senate Majority Leader . 6 April 2016 .
  9. Web site: Wilks. Avery G.. Hobbs. Stephen. April 8, 2020. How Hugh Leatherman took control of South Carolina's budget and built a political empire. subscription. 2020-10-16. Post and Courier. en.
  10. News: Politics: After 125 years, S.C. is becoming a two-party state . 24 July 2021 . GoUpstate.com . Gannett Co., Inc. . December 29, 1989.
  11. "Senate Standing Committees". South Carolina Legislature. 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  12. News: Roldan. Cynthia. Kropf. Schuyler. S.C. Senate: Flag needs to come down; House vote next. 6 July 2015. The Post and Courier. 6 July 2015. roldankropf-corpse. To remove the flag from the Statehouse grounds and thinking it would change history would be like removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one’s obituary. That won't change history..
  13. News: Smith. Tim. Senate gives approval to remove Confederate flag; Third reading tomorrow. 6 July 2015. Greenville News. 6 July 2015. greenville-online.
  14. News: Firestone. David. S. Carolina Senate Votes To Remove Confederate Flag. The New York Times on the Web. 7 July 2015.
  15. News: Braun. Stephen. South Carolina Senate Moves to End Stalemate on Confederate Flag. Los Angeles Times. 7 July 2015. 13 April 2000.
  16. Web site: Report of the South Carolina Election Commission For the Period Ending June 30, 1981 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  17. Web site: Report of the South Carolina Election Commission For the Period Ending June 30, 1985 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  18. Web site: South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1988–1989 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  19. Web site: South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1992–1993 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  20. Web site: South Carolina Election Report 1995–1996 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  21. Web site: South Carolina Election Report 2000 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  22. Web site: South Carolina Election Report 2004 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  23. Web site: 2009-06-01 . 2008 General Election: State Senate, District 14 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  24. Web site: 2013-04-09 . 2012 General Election: State Senate, District 14 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  25. Web site: 2016-07-26 . 2016 Republican and Democratic Primaries: State Senate, District 14 - REP . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  26. Web site: 2023-02-01 . 2016 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 14 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  27. Web site: Statehouse Report . April 3, 2020 . NEW for 4/3: Who's running and who's not; Sanford; Hard times ahead; Elections – Statehouse Report . 2024-04-22 . www.statehousereport.com.
  28. Web site: 2023-06-30 . 2020 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 14 . 2024-07-09 . South Carolina Election Commission.
  29. Web site: Dys . Andrew . November 4, 2020 . SC House incumbents in York, Chester, Lancaster had challengers. Who's keeping seats? . April 21, 2024 . The Herald.