“S” is for Spence, Floyd Davidson (1928-2001)

“S” is for Spence, Floyd Davidson (1928-2001). Legislator, congressman. Spence was born in Columbia. In 1956 he was elected as a Democrat to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1962 he switched to the Republican Party, one of the first legislators in the state to do so. In 1966 he was elected to the South Carolina Senate, where he served as minority party leader. In November 1970 Spence was elected to the U.S. Congress representing the Second Congressional District. Spence was a strong supporter of the military as well as an advocate for limited government. He began his service on the House Armed Services Committee in 1971 and from 1995 to 2001 he was chair of the committee. The Army Reserve Center at Fort Jackson, SC is named in honor of Floyd Davidson Spence.