David Beasley (26 February 1957-) was the Republican Governor of South Carolina from 11 January 1995 to 13 January 1999, succeeding Carroll A. Campbell Jr. and preceding Jim Hodges.
Biography[]
David Beasley was born in Darlington, South Carolina in 1957, and he served in the State House from 1979 to 1995, being elected at the age of 20. He served as the Democratic majority whip from 1985 to 1986 and majority leader from 1987 to 1989 before switching his party affiliation to Republican in 1991 and serving as Governor from 1995 to 1999. South Carolina enjoyed record low unemployment under Beasley, and he campaigned on his Christian conservative views; however, his 1996 statement of opposition to the Confederate flag flying at the state capitol cost him support at the 1998 election, resulting in his defeat. He received the 2003 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from US Senator Ted Kennedy for calling for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol, but his political comeback bids were unsuccessful. In 2017, US Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor Nikki Haley nominated Beasley to serve as Executive Director of the World Food Programme, and he was confirmed due to his experience with project management and business engagement.