“M” is for McMillan, Claude Richelieu (1899-1961). Engineer, government official. A native of Mullins, McMillan earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina. In 1923 he joined the South Carolina Highway Department where he rose through the ranks to state highway engineer. In 1948 he became chief highway commissioner. McMillan’s tenure as chief highway commissioner was one of unparalleled growth. He created a division to oversee license examinations and the Highway Patrol. In 1950 he successfully lobbied for a one-cent increase in the state gasoline tax to fund construction and maintenance of South Carolina’s burgeoning highway system. To McMillan, the key to safe roadways was the construction of controlled-access highways with frontage roads. In 1956 Claude Richelieu McMillan’s pioneering vision became a reality when the General Assembly approved construction of limited-access highways with frontage roads.
“M” is for McMillan, Claude Richelieu (1899-1961)
