Herbert Fielding Explained

Herbert Fielding
Office:Member of the
South Carolina State Senate
Term Start:1985
Term End:1992
Office2:Member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
Term Start2:1983
Term End2:1984
Term Start3:1971
Term End3:1973
Birth Name:Herbert Ulysses Gaillard Fielding
Birth Date:6 July 1923
Birth Place:Charleston, South Carolina
Death Place:Charleston, South Carolina
Occupation:Funeral director
Spouse:Thelma Erenne Stent
Children:Julius P. L. II, Herbert Stent, and Frederick Augustus

Herbert Ulysses Gaillard Fielding (July 6, 1923  - August 10, 2015) was an American politician who became the first African-American elected as a Democrat to the South Carolina General Assembly.[1]

Family and early years

Herbert Ulysses Fielding was the son of Julius and Sadie Fielding. Fielding served in the United States Army during World War II prior to attending and receiving his B.S. degree from West Virginia State College in 1948.

In 1952, Fielding took charge of the day-to-day operations of the family funeral home business, becoming President and CEO of Fielding Home for Funeral Services. Founded in 1912 by Fielding’s father, Fielding Home for Funeral Services was the largest African American-owned and operated funeral home in the state of South Carolina.[2] Fielding died on August 10, 2015.[3]

Civil Rights Movement

Fielding became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He often paid for the bail of civil rights activists, picketers and demonstrators. Fielding encouraged African Americans to vote and mobilized them to memorize the constitution in order to gain voting rights. Fielding's political papers from that era are housed at the College of Charleston.[4]

Political career

South Carolina General Assembly

Fielding was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1970, becoming the first of three African Americans (including James Felder and I. S. Levy Johnson) to be elected to the South Carolina Legislature since Reconstruction. Fielding served for three years, then returned to the South Carolina House in 1983. In 1985, Fielding was elected to the South Carolina Senate, where he served until 1992. In 1990, he became the chairperson of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.

1992 US Congressional Election

See 1992 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

See 1992 United States House of Representatives elections

See South Carolina's 6th congressional district

Fielding was one of five men running to be the first Black person elected to Congress from South Carolina since George W. Murray during Reconstruction. In the 1992 Democratic Primary for the 6th Congressional district were Fielding, John Roy Harper II, Jim Clyburn, State Senator Frank Gilbert, and Dr. Kenneth Mosely, an educator.[5]

External links

Herbert Fielding papers at the College of Charleston's Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Herbert U. Fielding - The HistoryMakers. thehistorymakers.com. 11 August 2015.
  2. Web site: Fielding Home for Funerals - Charleston, SC. fieldingfuneral.com. 11 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150628035927/http://www.fieldingfuneral.com/Contactboard.html. 28 June 2015. dead.
  3. http://www.wistv.com/story/29756713/scdp-reports-sen-herbert-fielding-has-died SCDP reports Sen. Herbert Fielding had died
  4. Web site: Inventory of the Herbert U. Fielding Papers, 1960 - 2007. cofc.edu. 11 August 2015. 7 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407103729/http://avery.cofc.edu/archives/Fielding_Herbert_U.html. dead.
  5. Five Blacks Seeking S.C. Congress Seat". Jet Magazine. August 17, 1992. p. 7. Retrieved December 17, 2023