Clelia McGowan
(1865-1956) 
A major force behind Charleston’s public library system and its interracial commission, McGowan was the first woman in South Carolina appointed to public office and one of the first two city councilwomen.
Elizabeth Lamboll
(1725-1770)
Martha Logan
(1704-1799)
Gardeners have Lamboll to thank for establishing a scientific approach to gardening locally, and Logan for creating the first amateurs' guide to gardening, Gardenerís Kalendar.
 Susan Pringle Frost
(1873-1960)
A s a descendant of a distinguished family and the resident of one of Charlestonís grandest homes, the Miles Brewton House, Frost simultaneously upheld and broke Charleston tradition. She was an ardent suffragette, fighting for womenís rights, and became one of the first female workers to invade the all-male Broad Street real estate market. But she also championed preservation, single-handedly saving scores of downtown houses with her own money. To rescue the Joseph Manigault house, she helped launch the Preservation Society in 1920 and continued to work
to save the architecture of our city.
 Alice R. H. Smith
(1876-1958)
A watercolorist, Smith helped create the image of Charleston and the Lowcountry in not just our eyes, but others'.
 Isaac Harby
(1788-1828)
As a journalist and educator, Harby (seated at left, with Joshua Lazarus Moses, standing, and Perry Moses) launched the first organized Jewish reform movement in America.
 Joel Poinsett
(1779-1851)
We remember him mostly for introducing the poinsettia to America, but as Secretary of War, he was a major reformer, giving America a professional, well-trained army and encouraging the opening of the American West.
 Ernest "Fritz" Hollings
(b. 1922)
A state representative, lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator from 1966 until 2005, Hollings (on left) served the interests of the state and its people, protecting natural resources, reducing the national debt, and supporting integration.
Nathaniel Lebby
(1816-1880)
Charleston can function as a port city thanks to dredging, and this native son patented the first such machine in America.
Dana Beach
(b. 1955) 
Dana Beach is an environmental powerhouse—make that a windmill at full tilt, or a solar panel in unfettered sun. With clear vision and undaunted conviction, he has done as much or more than any other individual to safeguard the Lowcountry's precious natural resources.
In 1989, with two staffers in a small Charleston office, Beach began the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League (CCL), a grassroots, member-driven organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment from growth pressure along the coastal plain. Now 4,000 members strong, with offices in four cities, the CCL (which dropped the SC, since its scope now extends beyond state lines) is one of the most respected conservation organizations in the country, with major victories to its credit, such as halting I-73 from plowing through national forest and keeping South Carolina safe from the polluting hog-farming industry.
Tenacious but never shrill, Beach and his staff conduct relentless research and capitalize on building coalitions with other environmental groups. With foresight and wisdom, he has been a prophet of smart growth, warning of the eco-hazards of sprawl, and, it's fair to say, even Beachís pro-development detractors respect his doggedness and searing intelligence. Without a doubt, nature-lovers and those who value the Lowcountryís unique and threatened landscape certainly do.
 Charles Pinckney
(1757-1824)
As a Founding Father, many of his ideas—such as the separation of church and state—went into the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. He also established the Democratic Party in South Carolina.
 Bishop John England.
(1786-1842)
helped put the Catholic Church on a firm foundation in what was, at the time, a very Protestant Lowcountry.
 John Dart
(1854-1915)
A minister and founder of the Charleston Normal and Industrial School specifically for African Americans, Dart was a voice for civil rights in the early 20th century. His school became Burke High, the first accredited black public high school in the city.
 Robert Barnwell Rhett
(1800 -1876)
Rhett was a fire-eating legislator
whose lobbying to secede from the Union
was all too successful—or not
successful enough—depending on which Charlestonian you ask.
 John Martin Taylor
(b. 1949)
Before Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking was published in 1992, Charleston cuisine
was unfocused. Thanks to Taylor, we took pride in our
produce, seafood, biscuits, and sweet tea. And foodies
of the world agreed.
 The Pollitzer Sisters
Carrie (1881-1974) helped open the College of Charleston to women, and Mabel (1885-1979) obtained legislation to open the Charleston County Public Library. Anita (1894-1975) was a key player in securing the vote for women nationally. All were vocal champions of women's rights and courageous suffragettes determined to make a difference in their world.
 John Bennett
(1865-1956)
An author and writersí mentor, Bennett was the first to argue that Gullah was not bad English but a dialect and culture worth preserving.
 Dr. Robert F. Furchgott
(b. 1916)
He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 for his discovery concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. One result: Viagra.
 Mary Moultrie
(b. 1942)
led hospital workers during the 1969 strike, demanding respect and higher pay for low-income employees. She earned that respect and raised pride in the community.
 John C. Calhoun
(1782-1850)
Although not a native, he is buried here, as are the seeds of his political philosophy that led to secession and the Civil War, which changed not just Charleston but the entire country.
|
