"S" is for Stevenson, Ferdinan "Nancy" Backer (1928-2001)

"S" is for Stevenson, Ferdinan “Nancy” Backer (1928-2001). Lieutenant governor, civic leader, author. After graduating from Smith College, Stevenson remained in New York. From 1952 to 1954 she worked for the New York Herald Tribune, writing book reviews and doing overseas reporting. In 1956, she moved back to Charleston where she taught junior high school. During the 1960s and 1970s Stevenson was an active civic leader in a number of cultural organizations with a special interest in drama and historic preservation. Frustrated by the lack of support for historic preservation from the General Assembly, she decided to run for office in 1974 and won Charleston’s House District 110 seat. She was reelected in 1976. In 1978 Ferdinan “Nancy” Backer Stevenson ran successfully for lieutenant governor, becoming the first woman to serve in statewide office in South Carolina.