COLUMBIA--Former House Majority Leader Charles
Alexander "Alex" Harvin III, the longest-serving current member of the House,
has died in a Charleston hospital, Statehouse officials said Wednesday. He was
55.
Harvin, a Democrat from Summerton, died Tuesday after a long illness. He had
served in the House for 29 years.
He won his first House election in 1976 and served as majority leader from
1982 to 1986 and was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"Alex was respected by his colleagues and many friends," said House Speaker
Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. "His service has been a testament of devotion to
his constituents and has been a lifelong demonstration of his attention and care
to the less fortunate among us."
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., recalled Harvin as a "great friend to me, the
people of Clarendon County and all South Carolinians. Alex never met a stranger
or a person he wasn't willing to help."
Harvin was the chief sponsor of several bills that became law dealing with
animal cruelty and wildlife protection. He also was the chief sponsor of a House
bill to establish an African-American History Monument on the grounds of the
Statehouse and pushed for requiring health insurers to cover 48 hours of
hospital stays after women give birth.
"Having literally dedicated the whole of his adult life to representing the
people of Clarendon and Williamsburg, Alex was truly a servant of the people,"
Gov. Mark Sanford said. "That commitment to the ideals he lived by and the
people he served will be sorely missed."
Harvin earned a law degree from Augusta Law School in 1976. He made his first
bid for House District 64 seat that year and rarely faced opposition in his 14
re-election bids. He described himself as a full-time legislator. Harvin also
served as a major in the South Carolina Guard.
Born Feb. 7, 1950, he is the son of the late Charles Alexander Jr. and
Thomasine Graham Harvin.
He is survived by his wife, Cathy Jane Brand Harvin, and a daughter, Mary
Franklin.
Services will be Monday at his home in Summerton. Arrangements are being
handled by Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter.
