Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE HONORABLE ERNEST FREDERICK "FRITZ" HOLLINGS, FORMER GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE PALMETTO STATE, AND TO EXPRESS PROFOUND APPRECIATION FOR HIS BROAD AND EXTENSIVE SERVICE TO OUR STATE AND NATION.
Whereas, born in Charleston on January 1, 1922, Fritz Hollings graduated from The Citadel in 1942, upon which he immediately received a commission in the United States Army; and
Whereas, from 1942 to 1945, he served during World War II in the North African and European campaigns, receiving the Bronze Star for meritorious service in direct support of combat operations in France and Germany. He received the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five Bronze Service Stars for participation in campaigns in Tunisia, Southern France, Rome-Arno, Rhineland, and Central Europe; and
Whereas, upon returning home after the war, Mr. Hollings worked through summers and holidays to earn a juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law by 1947; and
Whereas, while many might have rested on the laurels he had received in battle, he forged a massive record of legendary contributions in public service. From 1949 to 1955, he served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from Charleston, elected by his peers in 1951 and 1953 to serve as speaker pro tempore; and
Whereas, in 1954, Mr. Hollings was elected lieutenant governor of the State, and four years later he became the governor, at age thirty-six the state's youngest governor in the twentieth century; and
Whereas, under his economic leadership, South Carolina was the first Southern state to receive the coveted AAA credit rating, and the state's budget was balanced for the first time in over sixty years; and
Whereas, Governor Hollings became the father of technical education in the State, inaugurating a statewide system of technical colleges which provided opportunities for many to learn marketable vocational skills for the first time and enabled them to obtain better jobs at higher wages; and
Whereas, in 1966, he was elected to the United States Senate and was reelected six times. Early in his career in the nation's capital, Senator Hollings focused on poverty and hunger that pervaded the rural South and many urban areas of the nation. Two years later, he began his famous hunger tours, leading to his acclaimed 1970 book, The Case Against Hunger: A Demand for a National Policy; and
Whereas, Senator Hollings established his support of and commitment to environmental policies, passing the nation's first land-use law designed to protect coastal wetlands. He also helped to establish the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and authored and supported numerous acts to protect ocean life; and
Whereas, from his perch as the ranking member on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, he championed an array of issues such as telecommunications, transportation security, consumer protection, coastal preservation and research, and trade policy; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are deeply grateful for the years of remarkable and devoted public service that former Senator Fritz Hollings has skillfully rendered in protecting our State and our nation during times of peace, as well as during times of war. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and commend the Honorable Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings, former governor of South Carolina and former United States senator from the Palmetto State, and express profound appreciation for his broad and extensive service to our State and nation.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to the Honorable Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings.
This web page was last updated on April 12, 2016 at 1:56 PM