"B" is for Blackwood, Ibra Charles [1878-1936]

"B" is for Blackwood, Ibra Charles [1878-1936]. Governor. After graduating from Wofford, Blackwood read law and was admitted to the bar. He represented Spartanburg in the General Assembly and served as solicitor of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 1926, but was elected in 1930. He entered office with the Great Depression well underway in South Carolina. In 1932, he joined Senator James F. Byrnes in endorsing Franklin Roosevelt for the presidency. Roosevelt’s victory brought an avalanche of New Deal assistance to the state, including the Agricultural Adjustment Act and the Civilian Conservation Corps. One of the most lasting of the New Deal projects was the massive Santee Cooper electrification project, which was secured through the extensive lobbying efforts of Senator Byrnes and Governor Ibra Charles Blackwood.