Governor, Senator, Terrorist
Benjamin Tillman served as Governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and a US Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. He was instrumental in the founding of Clemson and Winthrop Universities.
Tillman’s public notoriety started with his involvement in the organized violence of 1876, including the Hamburg and Ellenton Massacres. In this turbulent election year, SC Democrats threatened and murdered blacks and Republicans in order to wrest control from the Reconstruction government. Tillman reflected on these para-military actions of 1876 with fondness and boasted of them throughout his life.

In 1940, the South Carolina legislature erected a statue honoring Tillman on the state house grounds.
It stands there still.
Join the Protest this January
“When something happens between June and December, is it going to last [as a hot topic] until we get back into session?” he speculates. “The answer is, ‘I don’t know.’” — Rep. Todd Rutherford
Rep. Seth Rose is submitting a resolution to remove the Tillman statue now, but the earliest South Carolina’s lawmakers can debate the issue is next session, which starts on January 12. This protest on that same day will let our representatives know the intervening days have not cooled our anger over the Tillman statue.
Protest Details
- Tuesday, January 12 between 11:00am and 1:00pm
- Protesters will march in a loop around the state house
- If necessitated by COVID-19, marchers will keep 6 apart.
Don’t want the Tillman statue to come down because it's a reminder of the horrors of Reconstruction? Learn about efforts to erect a Reconstruction monument.