David Beasley

David Muldrow Beasley (born February 26, 1957) is an American politician and the former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme.

This celebration started in 1961 with the raising of the Army of Tennessee Battle Flag over the State House Dome.

The Army of Tennessee Battle Flags were also displayed in the inner chambers of the SC Senate and SC House of Representatives.

He graduated from Lamar High School in 1975, then attended the Capitol Page School in Washington, DC while serving as a page in the U.S. Congress.

Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at age 20, Beasley transferred from Clemson University to the University of South Carolina where he received a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1979 and a J.D. from the School of Law in 1983.

Beasley was a member of the South Carolina House representing the Society Hill area from 1979 until 1995, serving as majority whip from 1985 to 1986 and the majority leader from 1987 to 1989.

He served as the youngest Speaker pro tempore and Majority Leader in the nation.

He also served as a state representative from 1981 until 1995.

Beasley was born in Lamar, South Carolina.

He is the son of Richard Lee Beasley and Jacqueline (Blackwell) Beasley.

During the 1991–92 legislative session Beasley switched to the Republican Party.

During the 1994 election for governor, both Beasley and his Democratic opponent Lieutenant Governor Nick Theodore faced tough primary opposition within their respective parties.

Beasley defeated his toughest competitor, former congressman and state senator Arthur Ravenel Jr.., in both the primary and run-off, and went on to win the general election by a narrow margin of 50%–48%.

A member of the Republican Party, he served one term as the 113th Governor of South Carolina from 1995 until 1999 before losing reelection to Democrat Jim Hodges.

Beasley initially supported the flag's presence but announced on statewide television in 1996 that he had reversed his decision and believed the flag should be relocated to a monument elsewhere on the grounds.

Beasley's position on the Confederate flag cost him many Republican votes in the next election.

South Carolina had a strong economy while Beasley was governor, with unemployment at a record-low 3.5% in 1998.

Beasley often made known his Christ-centered beliefs and conservatism in a state known for its strong ties to Christianity and conservative politics.

In the 1998 South Carolina gubernatorial election, Beasley lost to Democrat Jim Hodges, 53% to 45%.

Until 2000, the Confederate flag flew atop the South Carolina State House.

It had been raised over the Capitol dome in celebration of the Civil War centennial.

The flag was removed from the capitol dome in 2000 after Beasley left office.

In 2000, after leaving office as governor, Beasley supported George W. Bush in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary.

He introduced Bush during a campaign speech at Bob Jones University, which drew controversy because of the fundamentalist school's anti-Catholic teaching and strict policy against interracial dating.

Referring to Bush's anti-abortion stance, Beasley said Bush "shares our values."

After his term as governor, Beasley was a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.

Beasley strongly opposed gambling, which was legal in South Carolina until 2002.

At the time, many gas stations, convenience stores, and poker "casinos" were established across the state, and as Beasley supported legislation that would outlaw gambling, the video poker industry generated "Ban Beasley" billboards and radio ads.

In 2003, he received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy for his controversial request to the South Carolina legislature to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse dome.

In 2004, Beasley unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate to replace retiring Democrat Fritz Hollings.

He lost the Republican nomination to Congressman Jim DeMint of Greenville, South Carolina.

In April 2005, Beasley, along with his administration's former chief legal counsel, Henry Deneen, incorporated the Center for Global Strategies, Ltd (CGS).

CGS focuses on developmental initiatives in the non-integrated world.

Beasley is chairman of the board.

In 2007, Beasley endorsed Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries.

In 2010, he endorsed Henry McMaster in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primaries..

It was displayed on a pole in front of the statehouse until it was removed from the grounds in 2015 after the Emanuel Nine shooting.

Beasley also faced allegations of having an affair with his former press secretary, Ginny Wolfe.

Beasley refuted the claims, saying, "I can tell you right up front [my wife] Mary Wood and I love each other dearly. We both have been faithful to one another 100 percent."

In February 2017, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (also a former South Carolina governor) nominated Beasley to be the next Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).