Lindsey Graham

Politician Lindsey Graham's whole life was centered around South Carolina. Born and raised in Central, he fought hard to become the first member of his family to attend college, as he joined the Reserves and took classes at the University of South Carolina. However, as he finished his undergraduate studies, tragedy struck. Both of his parents died within a 15-month period, leaving his 13-year-old sister orphaned. Graham, at the age of 21, worked it out with the Reserves so he could still attend school as he cared for and adopted his younger sister.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina - both with a B.A. in Psychology and a law degree - Graham joined the U.S. Air Force. He was in active duty from 1984 to 1989, before he returned home and became a private practice lawyer. He was still engaged in the military, though, and even briefly returned to active duty during the Gulf War.

Afterwards, Graham declared himself a Republican and ran a successful campaign to join the South Carolina House of Representatives. He served one term there and then ran for the United States House of Representatives, where he also won. He retained his seat over the next eight years despite consistent Democratic opposition.

In 2002, Senator Strom Thurmond, who was a South Carolina Senator for 48 years, decided to retire and Graham, with Thurmond's blessing, ran to replace him. Graham won in a close race. He also won successful reelection campaigns in 2008 and 2014.

For the 2016 presidential election, Graham made an attempt at the Republican nominee. However, after poor results early on, he bowed out of the race in 2015. Graham made news, however, when he adamantly stated he would go against his party's politics and not vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026 in DC at the age of 71.