Terry Haskins
Terry Haskins | |
---|---|
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 22 district | |
In office 1986 – October 24, 2000 | |
Succeeded by | Gloria Arias Haskins |
Member of the Greenville City Council from District 1 | |
In office 1983 – November 10, 1986 | |
Preceded by | Harry B. Luthi |
Succeeded by | Dayton H. Walker |
Personal details | |
Born | Terry Edward Haskins January 31, 1955 Pontiac, Oakland County Michigan, USA |
Died | October 24, 2000 | (aged 45)
Cause of death | Melanoma |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Gloria Arias Haskins |
Children | David, Bryan, Hayden, and Harlan Haskins |
Parent(s) | Charles "Ed" and Dorothy Haskins |
Residence | Greenville, South Carolina |
Alma mater | Bob Jones University University of South Carolina School of Law |
Occupation | Attorney |
Terry Edward Haskins (January 31, 1955 – October 24, 2000) was a South Carolina Republican politician who served as the Speaker pro-tempore of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1995 until his death five years later.
Background
Haskins was the second of four children born in
In 1972, he entered fundamentalist Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, from which in 1976 he received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and in 1978 a Master of Arts in public speaking. His graduate speech recital described his plan to become President of the United States. While still a graduate student at BJU, Haskins became chairman of the Greenville Young Republicans.[2]
Haskins graduated in 1981 from the
Political life
In 1983, he became at twenty-eight the youngest member ever elected to the Greenville
Although he continued to take conservative positions on such topics as
In 1995, Haskins was elected speaker pro-tempore of the House. By 1999, he was influential in settling the two most divisive political issues of the period, including the compromise by which the legislature was able to remove the
Carl Langley, writing in the Edgefield Daily, declared:
Let us bow this morning to the ingenuity of Rep. Terry Haskins and the wisdom of our Supreme Court which stood up for the people while many elected to represent us took to cover in the tall grass. It was Haskins who wrote the amendment to poker legislation that called for its banishment if the court ruled against a referendum on the games. The Supreme Court, in unanimity I add, did just as Haskins expected. The court told the cowards in our legislature to enact our laws and not hand untidy things over to the people. There are few Medal of Honor winners in the General Assembly, but Haskins is a brave and fearless warrior who served the people well.[7]
In October 1999, Haskins became co-chairman of the South Carolina campaign organization of
Death
The day that Haskins was elected speaker pro-tem in 1995, he discovered a lump under his right arm, which was quickly diagnosed as a melanoma. By July 2000, the cancer had spread to his brain, and he lost his hearing and most of the use of his left arm. At his death in October, he was nearly paralyzed.[10] In January 2005, a Greenville bridge was named in his honor.[11]
Haskins was survived by his wife,
References
- ^ Dean Haskins, Eulogy (2002),TerryHaskins.com
- ^ Ehrenhalt, 97-98, 102.
- ^ Who Was Who, 14th ed.
- ^ The [Columbia, SC] State, February 19, 1998, B3; March 6, 1991, 1A.
- ^ Haskins interview with Gwen Ifill, PBS Newshour; Prince, 200-201.
- ^ Columbia State, February 7, 1999, A10; July 1, 1999, A1; August 1, 1999, A9; September 4, 1999, B1; SC House Resolution Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Edgefield Daily
- ^ The [Columbia, SC] State, February 29, 2000, A6.
- ^ McCain statement on Haskins' death; McCain attended Haskins' funeral at Bob Jones University.
- ^ Greenville News, October 25, 2000, 3A.
- ^ Bryan Haskins, Speech at bridge dedication, January 10, 2005, TerryHaskins.com
- ^ Gloria Haskins biography, SC State Legislature Archived 2002-12-23 at archive.today. She held the seat until defeated in the 2008 Republican primary.
External links
- Terry Haskins Memorial Website
- Greenville News obituary, October 25, 2000.
- Alan Ehrenhalt, The United States of Ambition: Politicians, Power, and the Pursuit of Office (New York: Random House, 1991), 97-98, 102.
- K. Michael Prince, Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! South Carolina and the Confederate Flag (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004), 200-01.