Ernest F. 'Fritz' Hollings recalled as leader whose views evolved

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Speaking through tears, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has remembered his political mentor Fritz Hollings as a strong leader who was capable of transformative change on the issue of race.

Clyburn said at Hollings’ funeral in Charleston Tuesday that he was moved when Hollings asked that his own name be taken down from a courthouse, replaced by that of a judge whose dissent led to the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling desegregating public schools.

Hollings initially campaigned against desegregation when running for governor in the 1950s. But he evolved on the issue, later advocating for integration. As a South Carolina State University student, Clyburn said he met with the then-governor and knew that Hollings’ attitude on race was changing, although he hadn’t ever shared that thought publicly until now.

____

12:15 p.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden credits his longtime Senate desk mate Fritz Hollings with making sure he made it to the chamber in the first place.

Biden told a crowd of hundreds Tuesday at Hollings’ funeral at The Citadel that Hollings both encouraged him to run for the Senate and urged him to take his seat following a car crash that killed Biden’s first wife and daughter.

Biden told Hollings’ children that he knows their grief seems insurmountable now, but it will pass.

Gov. Henry McMaster also spoke of the late senator, saying, “the magnificent lion of South Carolina roars no more.”

___

10:30 a.m.

Politicians, colleagues, admirers and friends have begun to arrive at funeral services for South Carolina’s Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings, one of the last larger-than-life Democrats who once dominated the politics of the South.

Former Gov. Dick Riley, state Democratic Chairman Trav Robertson and associate Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison were among those gathering Tuesday ahead of 11 a.m. services at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel in Charleston.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will be among the speakers.

Hollings died earlier this month at 97. The funeral caps off three days of mourning for the former governor and longtime U.S. senator, whose body lay in repose Monday at the state Capitol.

When he retired from the Senate in 2005, Hollings had served 38 years and two months, making him the eighth longest-serving senator in U.S. history.

___

1 a.m.

Mourners are gathering to say goodbye to South Carolina’s Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings, one of the last larger-than-life Democrats who once dominated the politics of the South.

Funeral services are set to begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel in Charleston. Former Vice President Joe Biden is among the speakers.

Hollings died earlier this month at 97. The funeral caps off three days of mourning for the former governor and longtime U.S. senator, whose body lay in repose Monday at the state Capitol.

Hollings’ long and colorful political career included an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. When he retired from the Senate in 2005, Hollings had served 38 years and two months, making him the eighth longest-serving senator in U.S. history.