A house RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE ARTHUR RAVENEL, JR., OF CHARLESTON COUNTY AND TO EXTEND THEIR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS LARGE AND LOVING FAMILY AND HIS MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Arthur Ravenel, Jr., at the age of ninety-five on January 16, 2023; and

Whereas, born in Charleston on March 29, 1927, he was the son of Mary Allen Boykin and Arthur Ravenel, and was reared on his father's idyllic farm in St. Andrew's Parish among live oaks draped in gracious swaths of Spanish moss. An Eagle Scout, Mr. Ravenel graduated from St. Andrew's High School, and in the patriotic tradition of the sons of South Carolina, he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps and was called to duty on his eighteenth birthday; and

Whereas, upon completion of his military service in 1946, Mr. Ravenel entered the College of Charleston, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1950. He then worked for Westvaco Paper Mill and in 1952 he started a home improvement business which he built into a successful general contracting and real estate business. After retiring at the age of 50, he devoted himself to public service; and

Whereas, he began his career in politics when first elected to the House of Representatives in 1953, where he served until 1958. In the early 1960s, Mr. Ravenel was instrumental in helping to build the modern Republican Party in South Carolina, serving as the First District chairman, the state finance chairman, and a Goldwater delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention; and

Whereas, he returned to elected politics in 1980 with his election to the South Carolina Senate. In 1986 he was elected to the United States Congress, where he represented the First Congressional District of South Carolina for four years before retiring; and

Whereas, Mr. Ravenel returned to the Senate in 1996, where he led the effort for funding to replace the aging Cooper River bridges with the new iconic bridge that now bears his name. He was active in negotiations to remove the Confederate Battle Flag from the State House Dome to the Soldiers' Monument in front of the Capitol; and

Whereas, after retiring from the General Assembly, Mr. Ravenel became frustrated with failing schools in Charleston County. He successfully ran for a seat on the Charleston County School Board, where he led efforts to open the Math and Science Charter School. He helped to secure initial funding from the General Assembly to procure the Avery Institute at the College of Charleston and was instrumental in the creation of the Low Country Graduate Center, a cooperative venture of MUSC, the College of Charleston, The Citadel, USC, and Clemson; and

Whereas, after his son William was born with Down Syndrome, Mr. Ravenel was a zealous advocate to create and promote services for the developmentally disabled and served as president of the South Carolina Association for Retarded Children. He sponsored legislation to the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs from closing any of its habitation centers without General Assembly approval; and

Whereas, in 1995, Mr. Ravenel was asked to head the newly formed Redevelopment Authority (RDA) to explore useful possibilities for the expansive Charleston Naval Base, which recently had closed. In just a few months, he successfully led the RDA to attract the Academic Magnet School to the site and lease out vital portions of the industrial area and the dry docks; and

Whereas, a devoted and lifelong member of the historic French Huguenot Church, Mr. Ravenel served on its board for fifty-five years. He was a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Fort Moultrie Camp and was a member of the Washington Light Infantry, South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, St. Johns Hunt Club, South Carolina Society, and Carolina Yacht Club; and

Whereas, together with his former wife Louise Ravenel Doughtery, Mr. Ravenel was blessed with six loving children: Suzanne Ravenel, Arthur Ravenel III, Renee Brockington, Eva Ravenel, William Ravenel, and Thomas Ravenel. They blessed him with the affection of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and

Whereas, from his marriage to his beloved wife, Jean Rickenbaker Ravenel, Mr. Ravenel's life was enriched with four step-children: Jean Elliott Manning, the late Heath Manning, Jr., Mary Locke Oliphant, and Dibble Manning; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are grateful for the life and legacy of Arthur Ravenel, Jr., and for the example of public service and tenacity he set for all who knew him. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of the Honorable Arthur Ravenel, Jr., of Charleston County and extend their deepest sympathy to his large and loving family and his many friends.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Arthur Ravenel, Jr.

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