Ibra Charles Blackwood Explained

Ibra Charles Blackwood
Order:97th Governor of South Carolina
Lieutenant:James Sheppard
Term Start:January 20, 1931
Term End:January 15, 1935
Predecessor:John Gardiner Richards, Jr.
Successor:Olin D. Johnston
Office1:Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Spartanburg County
Term1:January 13, 1903  - January 10, 1905
Birth Name:Ibra Charles Blackwood
Birth Date:21 November 1878
Death Place:Spartanburg, South Carolina
Party:Democratic
Alma Mater:Wofford College
Spouse:Margaret Hodges
Nationality:American

Ibra Charles Blackwood (November 21, 1878February 12, 1936) was the 97th Governor of South Carolina from 1931 to 1935.

Biography

Born in rural Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Blackwood studied at Furman University preparatory school and obtained his law degree from Wofford College.[1] During this time he became a brother of Pi Kappa Alpha. He then began to practice law in Spartanburg.

At the age of 24, Blackwood was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1902. From 1914 to 1916, Blackwood served as a tax collector for the Internal Revenue Service after which he became the solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of South Carolina.[2]

Blackwood won a contested Democratic primary in 1930 to become the 97th governor of South Carolina. His term as governor was noted for the creation of the South Carolina Public Service Authority in 1934 which provided for a hydroelectric plant at Pinopolis Dam and the construction of numerous dams on the Santee and Cooper Rivers. A major strike in 1934 by the majority of textile workers in the state forced Governor Blackwood to call up the South Carolina National Guard. However, the strike was so severe that the Governor had to commission "constables without compensation" and 6 strikers were killed by these special deputies in Honea Path on September 6.[3]

Blackwood resumed the practice of law in Spartanburg upon leaving the governorship in 1935. He died almost a year later on February 12, 1936, and is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: South Carolina Governors - Ibra Charles Blackwood - 1931-1935. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200214074401/https://www.sciway.net/hist/governors/blackwood.html. February 14, 2020. 2021-02-10. www.sciway.net.
  2. Web site: Ibra Charles Blackwood. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124184639/https://www.nga.org/governor/ibra-charles-blackwood/. November 24, 2020. 2021-02-10. National Governors Association.
  3. Book: The South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press. 2006. 9781570035982. Edgar. Walter.