EDGEFIELD - Strom Thurmond, South Carolina's most enduring public figure of the 20th century and a man who helped reshape the political landscape of the South and the nation, died Thursday night at the age of 100.

He died at 9:45 p.m. in the hometown he returned to five months ago after 46 years in Washington as a U.S. senator, his family reported. Before retiring in January, he was the oldest senator ever, and no one ever served longer in the U.S. Senate.

Thurmond's death marked the end of an extraordinary life that encompassed nearly one-third of South Carolina's history and personified the region's passage from racial segregation to equal rights.

He rose to prominence as a virulent segregationist, running for president in 1948 on the Dixiecrat ticket. His switch to the Republican Party in 1964 launched a migration of white Southerners to the Grand Old Party and fundamentally changed the partisan balance of America's presidential politics.

Years later, after federal law and the civil rights revolution greatly expanded the ranks of African-American voters, Thurmond actively courted their votes.

Born before the invention of the airplane and first elected to office when radio and talking movies were in their infancy, Thurmond maintained throughout his life a genius for sensing and expressing the deeply held values of most contemporary South Carolina voters.

His public and political career began in Edgefield County, where he was elected county school superintendent in 1928, and ended in the U.S. Capitol as the longest-serving senator in history.

In between, he was a state senator, circuit judge and governor. He was a third-party presidential candidate in 1948, campaigning against Harry Truman on a segregationist platform. Six years later, he became the only person ever elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in.

He holds the Senate filibuster record at 24 hours and 18 min-utes.

Upon word of his death, the Senate interrupted a late-night debate on Medicare to observe a moment of silence in his honor. Then several of his former colleagues paid him tribute.

"A giant oak in the forest of public service has fallen," said Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., who represented the Palmetto state with Thurmond from 1966 until this year.

"In many respects, he fought, lived, contributed, and legislated in a way that will be written about and commented on for years and decades to come," said Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. also issued a statement.

"South Carolina has lost its favorite son ... His life was extraordinary in both length and scope. His enduring legacy for all of us in South Carolina will be that of a public servant who put the common interest ahead of self interest and had a willingness and desire to help everyone to the best of his ability."

Indeed, Thurmond led an extraordinary life. Thurmond landed at Normandy on D-Day during World War II, was the first major Southern Democrat to switch to the Republican Party, and served more than 17 years as president pro tem of the U.S. Senate, third in line to the presidency.

Infamous for his Southern drawl, Thurmond amazed America with his longevity. He chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee until his mid-90s, and he continued a vigorous daily exercise regimen into his late 90s.

Thurmond's last major act in office came in January 1999: He swore in Chief Justice William Rehnquist as the presiding officer at President Clinton's impeachment trial.

"I'm just here trying to serve the people of South Carolina and the nation the best way I can," Thurmond said in 1997, when he became the longest-serving senator in history. "And if it means breaking records, OK. If it doesn't mean breaking records, OK. My goal is to serve the people."

REMEMBERED FOR SERVICE, SEGREGATION Beyond his historic milestones, many South Carolinians remember Thurmond for his in-dividual service to them. Tens of thousands wrote him through the decades seeking help for personal and community problems.

"Senator Thurmond has never been too busy to lend an ear in times of distress by others, not only by listening but taking action in order to help," one constituent wrote in 1988.

Other South Carolinians re-member Thurmond as a staunch segregationist for much of his political career.

His 1948 presidential cam-paign was launched to protest the national Democratic Party's civil rights plank. His record filibuster in 1957 was an attempt to kill part of a civil rights bill. In the 1950s and 1960s, he condemned nearly all court rulings and congressional proposals that extended civil rights to blacks.

Thurmond once vowed "there's not enough troops in the Army to force the Southern peo-ple to break down segregation and admit the Negro race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes and into our churches."

But many black and white people say Thurmond changed his views on racial issues. He became the first Southern member of Congress to appoint a black person to his professional staff. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of 1982. And he was honored in 1995 by the presidents of historically black colleges and universities for his support of those schools.

"In most instances I am confi-dent that we have more in com-mon as Southerners than we have reason to oppose each other because of race," Thurmond once told Ebony magazine. "Equality of opportunity for all is a goal upon which blacks and Southern whites can agree."

'I GET MORE PLEASURE OUT OF HELPING'

While racial issues often gave Thurmond headlines, he clearly loved his interaction with South Carolinians more.

He was a regular visitor at community festivals throughout the state.

At nearly every festival, he spent time shaking hands with old and young alike, employing a grip legendary for its strength.

"I have helped people all my life," Thurmond said in 1997. "Who's going to help them if we don't? I get more pleasure out of helping somebody than if somebody does something for me."

EDUCATOR, SENATOR, JUDGE, WAR HERO

Thurmond was born in Edgefield on Dec. 5, 1902, the son of John William and Eleanor Gertrude Strom Thurmond.

One of his early memories was of attending stump meetings during the gubernatorial campaign of 1912, won by Cole Blease. Watching the candidates debate, Thurmond decided then he wanted to one day become governor.

He graduated from Clemson College in 1923 with a degree in horticulture.

A year after graduating, Thurmond was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve. He served 36 years, rising to the rank of major general.

Between 1923 and 1929, he was a coach and teacher in McCormick, Ridge Spring and Edgefield. He was elected superintendent of education for Edgefield County in 1928, serving four years.

In 1932, Thurmond was elected to the state Senate from Edgefield County.

Five years later, at 34, he surprised many of the state's political elite by seeking a Circuit Court judgeship. Despite his young age and limited Senate seniority, he was elected by the General Assembly on Jan. 13, 1938.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Thurmond joined the Army. He'd just turned 39.

In 1944, he landed in Nor-mandy on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne Division, receiving the Purple Heart because of wounds suffered when his glider crashed.

For his service in World War II, he was awarded five battle stars and 18 decorations, medals and awards, including the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Bronze Star for Valor.

EFFECTIVE GOVERNOR, SUCCESSFUL SUITOR

After the war, Thurmond chased his childhood dream by announcing his candidacy for governor in 1946. He won the Democratic primary, which in those days guaranteed election.

Some historians say Thur-mond's administration was one of the most effective in South Carolina history. During his four years in office, the poll tax was repealed, the school year was extended and state government was streamlined.

He also fell in love. Early in his administration, the 44-year-old Thurmond developed a close friendship with one of his secre-taries, a 21-year-old from Elko in Barnwell County. The governor eventually proposed marriage to Jean Crouch, but in an unusual way. On Sept. 13, 1947, he asked her to take dictation. It turned out to be her dismissal letter.

He had a new assignment for her, Thurmond said. They were married Nov. 7, 1947.

LONG JOURNEY FROM DIXIECRAT TO GOP

Thurmond's first major act on the national stage came in 1948 when he ran for president.

A group of southern Demo-crats, angry about the national party's civil rights platform, met in Birmingham, Ala., after the Democratic National Convention. The Dixiecrats nominated Thurmond to be their presidential candidate, with Mississippi Gov. Fielding Wright as his running mate.

The campaign was popular only in the South, where Thur-mond received 39 electoral votes while carrying South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Two years after his presiden-tial campaign, Thurmond suf-fered his only election defeat in South Carolina, to Olin Johnston for the U.S. Senate.

But he wasn't out of politics for long. In 1954, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in a historic write-in campaign.

He entered the race after in-cumbent U.S. Sen. Burnet May-bank died on Sept. 1. Maybank had been unopposed in the Democratic primary that year, and no Republican had filed for the November election.

State Democratic leaders drew the ire of many South Carolinians when they shunned a second primary and nominated state Sen. Edgar Brown of Barnwell to succeed Maybank. Thurmond agreed to be an alternative candidate and waged a write-in campaign. He received 63 percent of the vote.

During the campaign, Thur-mond promised that if he won, he would resign in time to create a new primary and election in 1956. He kept that promise, winning again two years later.

He was re-elected seven more times.

Early in his Senate career, Thurmond was known as the rebel with a cause, vigorously supporting segregation, opposing social spending programs and condemning foreign aid. He fought for what he said was the preservation of the Constitution, states rights and individual liberty.

On Aug. 28, 1957, Thurmond launched a one-man filibuster aimed at killing a compromise civil rights proposal. He spoke nearly nonstop for 24 hours and 18 minutes, finally sitting down on the night of Aug. 29.

Near the end of his filibuster, Thurmond drew a chuckle from Senate colleagues by declaring: I expect to vote against the bill.

The legislation passed shortly thereafter.

Tragedy struck the Thur-monds in late 1959 when Jean suffered a series of fainting spells. Doctors removed a brain tumor in September, but the treatment proved futile. Jean Thurmond died on Jan. 6, 1960.

In 1964, Thurmond boosted the Republican Party in the South by joining the GOP. The switch was timed to help Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign.

A SECOND MARRIAGE, A TRAGIC LOSS

Thurmond raised a few eyebrows in 1968 when, at 66, he married for the second time. His bride was a 22-year-old former Miss South Carolina, Nancy Moore, an intern in Thurmond's office in 1967 and 1968. Several of his aides strongly opposed the marriage, claiming it would end his political career.

The couple had four children: Nancy in 1971, Strom Jr. in 1972, Julie in 1974 and Paul in 1976.

Thurmond suffered another tragedy in 1993 when his oldest child, 22-year-old Nancy, died after being hit by a car in Columbia's Five Points.

YEARS AT THE PEAK OF POWER

The highlight of Thurmond's Senate career was his election as Senate president pro tem in 1981, the year Republicans gained control of that 100-member body. Thurmond also became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and senior majority member on two committees: Armed Services and Veterans Affairs.

In 1996, Thurmond became the oldest person ever to serve in Congress, at 93 years and three months. Then, in 1997, he became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history with 41 years and 10 months of service.

In between, he won a record eighth Senate term by beating Democrat Elliott Close 53 percent to 44 percent.

One major issue embraced by Thurmond throughout his political career was education.

He created the Strom Thur-mond Foundation, which helped 40 to 60 students annually.

He established 30 scholarships at 25 educational institutions and set up a scholarship fund at Strom Thurmond High School in Edgefield County.

He helped establish several Thurmond chairs and scholar-ships at the University of South Carolina Law School and donated his public papers and memorabilia to the Strom Thurmond Institute for Excellence in Government and Public Service at Clemson University.

KNOWN FOR LOVE OF WOMEN AND HEALTH

The senator also was known for his fondness for women, the younger and more attractive the better.

"I'll hug any woman who wants to be hugged," Thurmond said during a 1996 campaign stop in Anderson.

In early 2001, just minutes af-ter Hillary Rodham Clinton was sworn into the U.S. Senate, Thurmond asked her, "Can I hug you?" Not waiting for an answer, he grasped her around the waist with both hands and kissed her on the cheek.

Thurmond preached a healthy lifestyle. He was fanatical about eating right and exercising daily. Bob Dole, during his 1996 presidential campaign at age 72, quipped: "At dinner time, I follow Strom. I eat what he eats."

Despite Thurmond's healthy lifestyle, his health began failing in his late 90s. After a series of fainting spells, Thurmond moved into a suite at Washingtons Walter Reed Army Medical Center in November 2001. He lived there through the end of his career.

On Dec. 5, 2002, many of Washington's elite honored Thurmond at his 100th birthday party.

At the end of the party, Thurmond thanked his guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know how to thank you. You're wonderful people. I appreciate you. I appreciate what you've done for me and may God allow you to live a long time."