“S” is for Smith, Ellison Durant (1864-1944)

“S” is for Smith, Ellison Durant (1864-1944). U.S. senator. Born in Sumter District (later Lee County) Smith represented Sumter County in the state legislature from 1897 to 1901. In 1905, as an executive committee member of the Southern Cotton Association, Smith traveled the southeast organizing cotton growers and polishing his oratorical skills. In 1908 he stunned the political establishment by winning election to the United States Senate. He remained there for thirty-six years. In South Carolina constituents dubbed him “Cotton Ed” Smith because of his passionate defense of cotton growers. However, to accommodate his interest in agriculture, he remained pragmatic on states’ rights. Throughout his six terms in the Senate, he emphasized his consistent belief in tariff reduction, states’ rights, and white supremacy. Ellison Durant Smith lost a reelection campaign in 1944 and died several months later.