COLUMBIA S.C.
Former Gov. Robert E. McNair, who helped guide the state through a turbulent era of race relations, including the deadly clash between state troopers and black college students known as the Orangeburg Massacre, has died. He was 83.
McNair, who was found to have brain cancer in September, died at an apartment in Charleston early Saturday with his family at his side, said O. Wayne Corley, senior shareholder at the McNair Law Firm.
The Democrat was elected lieutenant governor in 1962. He became governor in April 1965, replacing Donald Russell, whom McNair then appointed to the U.S. Senate to serve the remaining term of the late Olin Johnston. McNair was elected to a full term in 1966 and served until January 1971.
During his time in office, McNair was considered a moderate on civil rights. He appointed more blacks to state commissions and boards than any of his predecessors.
Still, McNair encountered criticism after highway patrolmen opened fire on a civil rights protest at the former South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, killing three students and wounding 27 others on Feb. 8, 1968.
The shooting was the culmination of three days of unrest that started when students decided to protest a bowling alley that refused to allow black people inside. Many blamed the governor for not having better control of the situation at the historically black school, which is now known as South Carolina State University.
