“R” is for Rivers, Lucius Mendel (1905-1970). Congressman. A native of Berkeley County, Rivers grew up in North Charleston. He was admitted to the bar in 1932. In 1940, Rivers defeated the “Charleston Ring,” was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the First District, and was re-elected fifteen times with only minor opposition. He was appointed to the Naval Affairs Committee and later the House Armed Services Committee—which he chaired from 1965 to his death. Rivers was a strong supporter of increased military spending and the establishment of a nuclear navy. During his years in Congress, the First Congressional District was a major beneficiary of military spending. A fellow congressman was reported to have said that if Lucius Mendel Rivers put another military facility in his district, it was going to sink into the Atlantic.
"R” is for Rivers, Lucius Mendel (1905-1970)
