Longtime S.C., National Democratic Party leader Don Fowler dies at 85

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Longtime South Carolina and National Democratic Party leader, Don Fowler, has passed away, the state’s current Democratic Party Chair confirmed late Tuesday night.

Fowler was 85.

State Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson confirmed the announcement on Twitter late Tuesday night, who added, “I shall miss his advice and long letters.”

Records show Fowler has participated in every presidential election since 1964, but the tweet says he was also a professor at the University of South Carolina.

Don served as National Democratic Party Chair under President Bill Clinton and reports say he would often bring the nation’s most prominent political leaders and journalists into his classrooms.

South Carolina Rep. Joe Cunningham said, “Our state has lost a giant. Dr. Don Fowler was a remarkable South Carolinian who dedicated his entire adult life to teaching young people about the democratic process and encouraging them to become involved in public service. He led by example, becoming one of the most prominent and influential political figures in our state’s history. I was deeply honored to know him and to learn from him.”

“The heart of the South Carolina Democratic Party for a long time has stopped beating,” Majority Whip James E. Clyburn said. “Politics coursed through my dear friend Don Fowler’s veins. Although he has passed on, his legacy remains strong in the beloved Democratic Party he helped build and sustain.

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