James Francis Byrnes – Columbia, SC - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

What qualifies as famous? Maybe being a former U.S. Congressman, or a Governor of South Carolina, or a former Secretary of State, or a U.S. Senator, or a Justice of the Supreme Court? How about all of the above? Such is the case with James Francis Byrnes. (You need a big headstone to fit all that information on it.)

A lawyer from Charleston SC, Byrnes was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served from 1911 to 1925. After a few political setbacks, set won a U.S. Senate seat in 1930 and served until 1941 when he was tapped by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

James F. Byrnes’ stint as a judge didn’t last long as he left the bench to head up a couple of FDR’s programs during World War II, namely the Office of War Mobilization and the Office of Economic Stabilization. When Harry S. Truman became President in 1945, he chose Byrnes to be his Secretary of State. Differences with President Truman over deteriorating relations with the Soviet Union led to Byrnes’ departure from State in 1947.

After a brief hiatus, James F. Byrnes returned to politics by running for governor of his home state of South Carolina in 1950. He won election and served until 1955 when he retired for good.

At one time, James Byrnes was a tenor in a barbershop quartet. In 1906, he married Maude Busch against his mother’s wishes (he was catholic, and she was episcopalian). The couple remained childless.

Description: After retiring from public service in 1955, James F. Byrnes remained in Columbia which he considered home. After several years of declining health, he died in 1972 at the age of 89. He is laid to rest in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral next to his wife of 65 years. As a teenager, Byrnes (and his mother and future employer) falsified is his date of birth in order to become a court clerk. It seems that this incorrect date of birth followed him throughout his life possibly resulting in the incorrect age at death (92) on his headstone. (Source: South Caroline Encyclopedia.) Date of birth: 05/02/1882 Date of death: 04/09/1972 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link] Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed

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