Donald S. Russell
Donald Stuart Russell was an American politician, attorney, judge, and academic administrator from South Carolina. A Democrat, Russell was elected Governor of South Carolina in 1962 [South Carolina gubernatorial election|1962] and served from 1963 to 1965, which was followed by a stint as U.S. Senator from South Carolina from 1965 to 1966.
Russell went on to become district judge of the United States [District Court for the District of South Carolina|District Court for the District of South Carolina] and the circuit judge of the United States [Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]. Prior to his political career, Russell served as an Secretary of State for Administration|Assistant Secretary of State] in the 1940s, and was president of the University of South Carolina in the 1950s. Russell was a close ally and political protege of James F. Byrnes.
Early life and education
Russell was born on February 22, 1906, in the unincorporated community of Lafayette Springs in Lafayette County, Mississippi, his father dying the year of his birth. In 1914, he moved with his family to Chester, South Carolina. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of South Carolina in 1925.Russell received a Bachelor of Laws from University of South Carolina School of Law and passed the South Carolina bar in 1928. He studied graduate level law at the University of Michigan Law School in 1929.
Early career
Russell was in private practice of law in Union, South Carolina, from 1929 to 1930. He was in private practice of law with the law firm of Nichols, Wyche and Byrnes in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from 1930 to 1942. He was in private practice of law in Spartanburg from 1947 to 1951 and from 1957 to 1963. Additionally, Russell served as president of the University of South Carolina from 1951 to 1957.Russell served on the Price Adjustment Board of the United [States Department of War|War Department] and as assistant director of economic stabilization in 1942, and in 1943 became an assistant to the director of war mobilization. Russell was in the United States Army as a major in 1944 and became deputy director of the Office of War Mobilization Reconversion in 1945.
Service as Assistant Secretary of State
In 1947, Russell began service as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration. He was a protégé of former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. During that time, he became involved in the case of "Mr. Blank" and nine other State Department officials, dismissed for unspecified charges related to loyalty. The case became a sensation when journalist Bert Andrews obtained a secret transcript of Mr. Blank's case and published a series of articles in the New York Herald-Tribune starting on November 2, 1947.Governor of South Carolina
In 1958, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of South Carolina, losing the Democratic primary to Fritz Hollings. In 1962, he was elected the 107th Governor of South Carolina, and would serve from 1963 to 1965. On April 22, 1965, Russell resigned as governor, after which new governor Robert E. McNair appointed him to fill the Senate seat vacated by the death of Olin D. Johnston, serving through 1966.Russell ran in the 1966 [United States Senate special election in South Carolina|special election] to complete the Senate term, but once again lost the Democratic primary to Hollings.
Notable events during his tenure
On January 28, 1963, Clemson University enrolled its first-ever African-American student, Harvey Gantt, who would later become Mayor of Charlotte. On September 16, 1964, former Governor Strom Thurmond announced his move to the Republican Party. On October 29, 1964, Greenville native Charles Townes won the Nobel Prize in Physics. On November 3, 1964, a majority of South Carolina voters supported Barry Goldwater, the first Republican presidential candidate since Reconstruction to carry the state.Federal judicial service
Russell was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 11, 1966, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated by the death of Judge Charles Cecil Wyche. He was confirmed to this office by his fellow members of the United States Senate on October 20, 1966, and received his commission on November 3, 1966. His service was terminated on May 1, 1971, due to his elevation to the Fourth Circuit.Russell was nominated by President Richard Nixon on April 7, 1971, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge Simon Sobeloff. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1971, and received his commission on April 23, 1971. His service was terminated on February 22, 1998, due to his death.