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William Jennings Bryan Dorn
William Jennings Bryan Dorn
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
	In office; January 3, 1973 – December 31, 1974
Speaker	Carl Albert
Preceded by	Olin E. Teague
Succeeded by	Ray Roberts
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from South Carolina's 3rd district
	In office; January 3, 1951 – December 31, 1974
Preceded by	James Butler Hare
Succeeded by	Butler Derrick
	In office; January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	Butler B. Hare
Succeeded by	James Butler Hare
Member of the ; South Carolina Senate; from Greenwood County
	In office; January 14, 1941 – June 20, 1942
Member of the ; South Carolina House of Representatives; from Greenwood County
	In office; January 10, 1939 – June 8, 1940
Personal details
Born	April 14, 1916; Greenwood County, South Carolina
Died	August 13, 2005 (aged 89); Greenwood, South Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mildred Johnson (m. 1948, d. 1990)
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army Air Corps
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Corporal
Battles/wars	World War II; European Theater

William Jennings Bryan Dorn (April 14, 1916 – August 13, 2005) was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the western part of the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat.

Early life

Dorn was born near Greenwood, South Carolina on April 14, 1916, the son of Thomas Elbert and Pearl Griffith Dorn.^[1] Thomas Dorn was a school teacher, principal, and superintendent who hoped his son would have a political career, so he named the boy after William Jennings Bryan.^[1] Bryan Dorn attended the public schools of Greenwood and Greenwood High School, and became a farmer.^[1] He attended the University of South Carolina where he was a member of the Clariosophic Society.^[2] He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1938 and to the South Carolina Senate in 1940.^[1] He served in the United States Army Air Forces in Europe during World War II.^[3]

Congressional career

Dorn was first elected to Congress in the 1946 election.^[1] In the 1948 election, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent U.S. Senator Burnet R. Maybank for the Democratic nomination.^[1] Maybank won the nomination, and was unopposed in the general election.

Dorn returned to the House in the 1950 election, and became known for his work on issues related to the military. He was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto^[4] that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. Dorn voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,^[5] 1960,^[6] 1964,^[7] and 1968^[8] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution^[9] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.^[10]

In 1966, journalist Drew Pearson reported that Dorn was one of a group of congressmen who had received the "Statesman of the Republic" award from Liberty Lobby for his "right-wing activities".^[11] In his final term he was chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Candidacy for governor

He left Congress to run for Governor of South Carolina in 1974. He lost the Democratic primary to Charles 'Pug' Ravenel, who the South Carolina Supreme Court later ruled ineligible on residency grounds required by the state constitution.^[12] A special state convention then chose Dorn as the Democratic candidate. He was defeated in the general election by Republican James B. Edwards, one of the few disappointments in what was generally a big year for Democrats. In 1978, Dorn again sought the Democratic nomination for governor but was eliminated in a three-way race won by Richard Riley. In 1980, he was elected chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, and he served until 1984.

After Congress

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter named the Columbia, South Carolina, Veterans' Affairs Hospital after Dorn as the "William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans' Hospital."^[13] Dorn died in Greenwood on August 13, 2005. He was buried at Bethel Methodist Church Cemetery in Callison, Greenwood County, South Carolina.

Autobiography

Dorn, William Jennings Bryan, and Scott Derks. Dorn: Of the People, A Political Way of Life. Columbia and Orangeburg, S.C.: Bruccoli Clark Layman/Sandlapper Publishing, 1988

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Moore, William V. (October 26, 2016). "Biography, William Jennings Bryan Dorn". SC Encyclopedia. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina.
^ "Page 84".
^ "Longtime congressman dies at 89 in Greenwood". The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. AP. August 14, 2005. p. 6A. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
^ "Southern Manifesto" (PDF). Congressional Record - Senate: 4459–4461.
^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957. -- House Vote #42 -- Jun 18, 1957". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ "HR 8601. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1960. APPROVAL BY THE … -- House Vote #106 -- Apr 21, 1960". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ "H.R. 7152. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. ADOPTION OF A … -- House Vote #182 -- Jul 2, 1964". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR … -- House Vote #113 -- Aug 16, 1967". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF … -- House Vote #193 -- Aug 27, 1962". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ "TO AGREE TO CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1564, THE VOTING … -- House Vote #107 -- Aug 3, 1965". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ Pearson, Drew (November 2, 1966). "Judge Rules Against Liberty Lobby". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. p. 6. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
^ Bass, Jack; DeVries, Walter (1995). The Transformation of Southern Politics: Social Change and Political Consequence Since 1945. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-8203-1728-1.
^ Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health. "Our History – Columbia VA Health Care System". www.columbiasc.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

William Jennings Bryan Dorn at Find a Grave

United States Congress. "William Jennings Bryan Dorn (id: D000434)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with William Jennings Bryan Dorn" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
William Jennings Bryan Dorn Papers at the University of South Carolina at South Carolina Political Collections (not accessible online, finding aid only)

Party political offices
Preceded by Charles D. Ravenel	Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina 1974	Succeeded by Richard Riley
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Butler B. Hare	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district 1947–1949	Succeeded by James Butler Hare
Preceded by James Butler Hare	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district 1951–1974	Succeeded by Butler Derrick
Honorary titles
Preceded by Edwin Arthur Hall	Most senior living U.S. representative (Sitting or former) October 18, 2004 – August 13, 2005 Served alongside: George Smathers	Succeeded by George Smathers