“M” is for Manning, Richard Irvine, III (1859-1931). Governor. A native of Sumter County, Manning briefly studied law, but became a successful planter and businessman. In 1892 he won election from Sumter to the S.C. House of Representatives. He represented Sumter in the S.C. Senate from 1899-1906. He was elected governor in 1914 and re-elected in 1916. Manning envisioned an expanded government role in confronting the problems facing the state. Improvements in education became a hallmark of his administration. The state funded teacher training courses and increased teachers’ salaries by twenty percent. He pushed for reform in the state’s outmoded tax structure, passed a child labor law, and reorganized and modernized the state hospital for the mentally ill. Richard Irvine Manning, III, is considered to have been one of the most effective governors in South Carolina history.
“M” is for Manning, Richard Irvine, III (1859-1931)
