“F” is for Fielding, Herbert Ulysses (1923-2015)

“F” is for Fielding, Herbert Ulysses (1923-2015). Civil rights advocate, legislator. After graduation from Avery Institute in Charleston, Fielding served in the army in World War II. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was a funeral home director and civil rights activist and leader in the African American community in Charleston. He was one of four Black leaders in 1963 who met with Charleston’s mayor to end segregation of public facilities. In 1970 Fielding became one of the first three African Americans elected to the South Carolina General Assembly since 1900. In 1984 he was elected to the South Carolina Senate where he served until 1992. Herbert Ulysses Fielding did not seek reelection to public office following his unsuccessful 1992 congressional campaign, but he continued to be active in community and political affairs in Charleston.